What is AIDS fear and anxiety disorder?

AIDS phobia is also a common manifestation of anxiety disorder. It is mainly characterized by a strong fear of AIDS, accompanied by deep anxiety, depression, and compulsion. Patients often suspect that they have been infected with the HIV virus, and at this time, they will have stronger obsessive-compulsive symptoms such as mysophobia. This is mainly due to high-risk sexual behavior or extramarital sex caused by such symptoms.

Causes

Most people with AIDS phobia have engaged in highly risky premarital or extramarital sexual behavior, and the objects of their sexual behavior are often prostitutes and women with promiscuous sexual relationships who they met online. On the one hand, these risky sexual behaviors do greatly increase the chances of HIV infection; on the other hand, because such behaviors are not permitted by social moral norms, deep down they are often subjected to moral condemnation and social pressure.

The struggle between reason and desire, morality and instinct often causes them to feel conflicted, ashamed, and guilty, making them more susceptible to AIDS phobia. In this situation, they see or learn some knowledge related to AIDS, but have only a superficial understanding of it. As a result, they exaggerate the infectiousness of AIDS, or take possible symptoms of AIDS as specific symptoms of AIDS, matching them one by one with their own feelings, and thus falling into deep fear.

Clinical manifestations

From a psychological perspective, AIDS phobia patients not only have a one-sided understanding and misunderstanding of the clinical manifestations and transmission routes of AIDS, but a considerable number of people have a close relationship with their own personality foundation and other psychological disorders, especially anxiety disorders. People with AIDS phobia can be people who have engaged in high-risk behavior; or they can be people who have not engaged in high-risk behavior. The fear comes entirely from their own subjective imagination and association. Several manifestations of the disease:

1. Mental depression, silence, fear and anxiety, unable to relieve oneself

Whenever they talk about their symptoms, they feel like they are dying, and thus experience insomnia, palpitations, cold sweats, dizziness and other symptoms. Some even think that death is just around the corner and the world is coming to an end.

2. Spread of the disease

The patient publicly claimed that he had AIDS, felt extremely guilty, and mobilized his family to undergo STD tests.

3. Stubbornness

Although he was found to be negative for AIDS after examinations at many hospitals, he still sought medical treatment from many places.

4. Basic symptoms

Obsessive-compulsive symptoms, hypochondriacal symptoms, fear of illness, and depressive symptoms.