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High Anxiety: AIDS Anxiety in the Worried-Wells and Worried-Sicks, Part OneBy Bob Frascino, M.D. September 3, 2010 Read Part Two of this blog entry, posted on Sept. 23, 2010. Fear of an Epidemic Resulting in an Epidemic of Fear: The Worried-WellsImagine being so frightened of contracting an illness that you begin believing God is sending you bad omens in the form of bird poop ... SIGNS FROM HEAVEN (BIRD TURDS AS HIV SIGN FROM HEAVEN, 2009) or via commercials and advertisements ... C'mon Bob..No more BUSHIT!!! or on license plates ... hiv 2 research There are many terms for this type of irrational worrying -- AIDS phobia, AIDS panic, AIDS hysteria, AIDS anxiety, etc. The condition is comprised of three major components:
Some American psychiatrists have suggested the acronym FRAIDS (fear of AIDS) to describe this burgeoning psychological problem among the HIV-negative worried-wells. The Body's expert forum on HIV prevention and safer sex recently began collecting some of the more extreme worried-well stories in a chapter entitled "I'm Positive I'm Positive," which can be easily accessed in the archives. Representative samples of worried wells from this chapter include: swollen gums Alqaeda brave next month There are many other examples in the archives and the published medical literature, including (1) a postal worker in New York who refused to deliver mail to a public health clinic caring for HIV/AIDS patients, because he feared acquiring the disease from their letters and (2) a dude in the UK who routinely immersed his Mr. Happy and his feet in undiluted bleach after every trip to a public toilet! Public-toilet fears are quite common among FRAIDS sufferers. Here's just one of many examples, again from the archives: Thanking You! Certainly some of these irrational fears might be chalked up to ignorance. One research study of university students found 24% thought HIV could be acquired from toilet seats; 14% were convinced they could contract HIV from trying on clothes in a store; and 10% believed money handled by an HIVer was contagious! However, AIDS phobia goes well beyond routine fear associated with misinformation or myth.
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Life, Love, Sex, HIV and Other Unscheduled Events Bob Frascino, M.D., was President and Founder of The Robert James Frascino AIDS Foundation. He had been an outspoken, popular expert in TheBody.com's "Ask the Experts" forums on safe sex and fatigue/anemia since 2000. Once a Fellow of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. Frascino served as Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Division of Immunology, Rheumatology, and Allergy, at Stanford University Medical Center from 1983 until 2001. He was a member of the American Academy of HIV Medicine and had also been a distinguished member of the executive boards of numerous state and regional associations. We're inexpressibly saddened to share the news that Dr. Frascino passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011. Click here to read more and to share your thoughts. Subscribe to Dr. Bob's Blog:
Recent Posts:
October 19, 2011 - The Ultimate Unscheduled Event: A Blog Entry by Steven M. Natterstad, M.D.
September 23, 2011 - HIV Guidelines: Some Evolve; Some Don't. What's Up with That? Part Two -- A Blog Entry by Bob Frascino, M.D. August 25, 2011 - HIV Guidelines: Some Evolve; Some Don't. What's Up With That? Part One: A Blog Entry by Bob Frascino, M.D. July 27, 2011 - Three Decades of HIV/AIDS, Part Three: A Blog Entry by Bob Frascino, M.D. June 30, 2011 - Three Decades of HIV/AIDS, Part Two: A Blog Entry by Bob Frascino, M.D. Interviews With Dr. Bob: Doctor Views: Dr. Bob Frascino Dr. Bob's "Ask the Experts" Forums on TheBody.com: A Brief Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by TheBody.com's bloggers are entirely their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of TheBody.com itself. |
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