I feel that there is not enough help given to HIV positive people in understanding how to come to terms with a positive diagnosis. As everyone knows a positive diagnosis does not mean a death sentence, far from it. There has been a lot of adverse publicity surrounding the disease known as HIV Positive. I do not intend to go in to all the arguments about this disease here but merely to point people in the right direction of putting their mind right, or to put it another way, making sure that the diagnosis itself does not become the illness. Although this is written in response to Amy's article, the principles voiced here will be valid for all and any 'life threatening disease'.
All illnesses are indicative of an incorrect lifestyle either physically, psychologically or both.
It therefore follows that a very large part of coming to terms with all illnesses is going to include major life-style changes. These changes are very difficult to achieve without appropriate counselling help. The job of the therapist then is to help guide the patient to a better understanding of the reasons why the path chosen was not exactly correct. A better understanding of one's past activities helps greatly to understand the life-style changes required if the illness is not going to be given the chance of winning. The changes required nearly always include the elimination of stress.