I WAS WONDERING IF ANY ONE HAS EVER DONE A SUTDY ON THE AFFECT THE AIDS HAS ON TEENS AND THEIR BEHAVIOR, OUTBURSTS,THAT COME FROM KNOW WHERE? I KNOW SOME OF THESE OUT BURSTS ARE TYPICAL TEEN STUFF, BUT LATLEY MY DAUGHTER HAS BEEN ACTING OUT ALOT, I THOUGHT IT WAS MORE ASSOCIATED WITH HER PERIOD BUT SHE JUST DISPELLED THAT MYTH.SHE ISNT VIOLENT, JUST HATEFUL, NON-CARING OF OTHERS IN HER FAMILY, SHE HAS THE WORLD REVOLVES AROUND ME ATTUITED.BUT NOT ALL THE TIME IT SEEMS TO COME IN WAVES. IT LASTS ABOUT TWO-THREE DAYS. I HAVE TALKED TOO A COUPLE OF OTHER FRIENDS WHO HAVE TEENS WITH AIDS, AND THEY ARE SEEING THE SAME THINGS, AND IT IS NOT JUST GIRLS. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS? OR DO YOU KNOW OF ANY ONE WHO DOES?

I am not an expert on adolescents with AIDS, but have a colleague, Dr. Joyce Hunter who is. Dr. Hunter is on faculty at New York State Psychiatric Institute in Manhattan. Her e mail is JHuntLGHLT@AOL.com. In addition to Dr. Hunter, another internationally recognized expert on adolescents with AIDS is Dr. Gary Remafedi. He has published extensively on this topic. He is at The University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis. His e mail is remaf001@Maroon.tc.umn.edu

Part of what you describe sounds like absolutely normal teen ager behavior regardless of whether or not the teen is HIV infected. I assume that kids being kids will use whatever is available to them, (in this case having AIDS) to act out all the stuff they are in conflict about as part of their normal developmental process. But by all means, e mail Dr. Hunter and consult with her as well.

Michael Shernoff, MSW