HIV and Post-Traumatic Stress

posted: 20/08/2010

One third of HIV-positive gay and bisexual men in a London survey fit the definition for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a report in AIDS Patient Care and STDs. Starting HIV treatments was one of the triggers for PTSD among these men with HIV.
 

What is Post Traumatic Stress and what does it do?

PTSD is a frequently debilitating psychological disorder caused by experiencing or witnessing traumatic events, such as physical violence. People with PTSD experience symptoms of depression and anxiety, have intrusive memories of the traumatic event, and often begin avoiding places and activities that trigger such memories. Taken together, these symptoms can significantly affect a person’s ability to function in life and experience pleasure.
 

HIV and Post Traumatic Stress

Various studies have examined whether HIV-related experiences, such as the threat of physical or psychological harm, increase the risk of developing PTSD. With HIV, harm can come from the threat of illness or death due to disease progression or opportunistic infection or from social rejection due to a person’s HIV status.
 

Up to Two Thirds of people with HIV may get post-traumatic stress
Rates of PTSD in people with HIV have ranged from 13 to 64 percent, depending on the group being studied. Among people with HIV various studies before have found it among

• 13% of adolescent and young adults
• 15% in ethnic minority women
• 30% among gay men
• 64% for people who have difficulty taking all their HIV treatments properly.

Gay and bi men and post traumatic stress: 33%

To determine the frequency and causes behind PTSD in HIV-positive gay and bisexual men, Anthony Theuninck, a doctor of clinical psychology, and colleagues from the Oxleas NHS Trust in London, surveyed 100 gay and bisexual men.
 

Theuninck’s team found that 33 percent of the men met the criteria for HIV-related PTSD, in that they experienced threats to their physical health from HIV, or witnessed someone else’s death from HIV, and that they had profound feelings of fear and helplessness related to these events.
 

PTSD diagnosis

There's a rather complex set of rules for daignosing PTSD but they assess people under these headings: 

• Experience event as a physical threat
• Thought that I might die
• Fear
• Helplessness
• Horror
• Shame
• Humiliation
• Guilt

Three Stress Triggers

Three HIV-related events most strongly predicted these men developing PTSD. They were:

• experiencing physical symptoms
• witnessing a HIV-related death 
• receiving antiretroviral (ARV) treatment.

Though 55 percent of the survey respondents rated

• being diagnosed with HIV as a traumatic event, this was not correlated strongly with developing PTSD
• feelings of shame or guilt over becoming HIV positive were also felt to be traumatic by the men, but was not strongly correlated with a PTSD diagnosis.

Starting treatment trigger

Theuninck and his colleagues stated that receiving HIV treatment was both “the strongest predictor and an unexpected finding. The emotional distress evoked by receiving treatment was more highly correlated with [post-traumatic stress symptoms] than any other stressor.”
 

Treatment can be a shock
The authors hypothesised that receiving ARV treatment “could include catastrophic expectations about the limitations a medication regime may impose on social or occupational functioning thus leading to traumatic fear, or the perceived failure of alternative medicines and lifestyle remedies leading to traumatic helplessness.”
 

Doctors and clinics: be on the look out
As for the treatment implications of their findings, the authors recommend that clinicians become familiar with the diagnostic criteria of PTSD and remain on the lookout for these symptoms in their patients. Given previous findings about the increased likelihood for poor adherence among people with PTSD, this may be critical.
 

In cases where PTSD comes on within a month of a traumatic event, immediate intervention is not recommended by current guidelines, the authors noted.

People whose symptoms persist beyond one month, however, should receive professional treatment specific to PTSD.
 

People with HIV: knowledge and support helps
The authors also recommended that people with HIV receive education about the symptoms of PTSD and the kinds of events that can increase a person’s vulnerability to developing the condition.
 

HIV and certain events associated with HIV are a big shock to most people. But with the right information and support, especially from other people living with HIV, most people get over the shocks and get on with their lives. Shock is a natural normal reaction to some traumatic changes and news in our lives. People haven’t 'failed;' and asking for support from community organisations, your doctor and the HIV clinic make sense.
 

“Further research is needed to determine the conditions that contribute to some HIV-related events being more likely to be traumatic than others,” the authors concluded. “Such research may benefit from being guided by psychological PTSD models…to inform further service and treatment development.”
 

Source
Full AIDS Patient Care and STDs article (free)
 

Lancaster HIV Support

posted: 02/02/2010

Lancaster has a monthly HIV support group meeting in the town centre once a month on Thursday evenings. It's a place for social contact, information and advice, and sharing your experiences with others.

The meeting dates and times for 2010 are now all arranged. The North Lancashire HIV+ Social Support Group meets every second Thursday of the month from 7pm to 9pm.

Every 2nd Thursday each month, at 7 - 9pm 

The dates for 2010 are

• Thursday 11 February
• Thursday 11 March
• Thursday 8 April
• Thursday 13 May
• Thursday 10 June
• Thursday 8 July
• Thursday 12 August
• Thursday 9 September
• Thursday 14 October
• Thursday 11 November
• Thursday 9 December 2010. 

The group is open to everyone living with HIV regardless of age, gender, sexuality, race or nationality.

To find out more about the group and where it meets in central Lancaster, please call

• Sue 07825 207 024
• Peter 07855 342 732
   
• or email

3 Jobs at George House Trust

posted: 11/01/2010

We have three full time job vacancies at George House Trust. We are looking for an Adviser, a Finance and Facilities Organiser, and an Office Administrator. The closing date for all three jobs is 12 noon on Friday 29 January.
 

The Adviser will be part of our services team and responsible for providing advice, advocacy and support for people living with HIV according to their needs. They will take the lead on supporting people from African communities and for coordinating a fortnightly African group, including activities for African men. We want someone with experience of working with people with complex needs, for example relating to asylum and immigration, and a confident advocate who is committed to tackling stigma and discrimination on a daily basis.

The Finance and Facilities Organiser will join our operations team and look after the day-to-day administration of our finances and facilities. This involves a wide variety of financial tasks, including accounts payable, bank reconciliations, credit control, petty cash and donations management, and experience with Sage is desirable. The person will also help manage our buildings and facilities, including health and safety, contracts and IT.

The Office Administrator will provide general administrative support for both the HIV services and operations teams. This will involve coordinating office supplies, filing, data entry, answering the telephone and updating information in our contact databases. They will also be responsible for hiring out our training room by taking bookings and providing a quality service. We are looking for someone with experience of office computer systems, excellent customer service skills and the ability to manage multiple tasks.
 

Closing date for applications the three jobs is 12 noon on Friday 29th January 2010. The interview dates vary with the jobs.
 

All three jobs require an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check.
 

Full details of each job, including hours and pay, and the application packs can be downloaded here , or telephone us on 0161 274 4499 for a job pack to be posted to you.
 

George House Trust works alongside 2,500 men, women and children living with or affected by HIV in North West England from our base close to the city centre of Manchester.

People living with HIV face a range of issues including stigma, discrimination, poor health, poverty, employment and immigration issues.

Through the delivery of innovative services, and influencing regional and national policy, we are able to support people to tackle these issues and achieve a better quality of life.
 

2010 is our 25th year.

No agency enquiries please.

Our Next Chief Executive?

posted: 30/10/2009

Help us make a difference as our new Chief Executive. Are you a dynamic and visionary individual, with the ability to develop funding streams and to raise the profile of an organisation across key networks and stakeholder groups?

We are offering  £45,701 - £51,393 plus 8% pension for this central Manchester post.
 

George House Trust works alongside 2,500 men, women, and children living with or affected by HIV in the North West of England.

the challenges and our approach

People living with HIV face a range of issues including stigma, discrimination, poor health, poverty, employment and immigration issues. Through the delivery of innovative services, and influencing regional and national policy, we are able to support people to tackle these issues and achieve a better quality of life.
 

business plan objectives

Our 5-year business plan has identified the key objectives for the organisation. In order to deliver those objectives, we are seeking a Chief Executive with the following skills and experience:

• Significant senior management experience gained in an organisation of comparable scope.
• Ability to build and manage multiple relationships at all levels
• Ability and confidence to represent the organisation at large-scale public events and in the media.
• High level of personal effectiveness and the ability to inspire and develop the staff team.
• Ability to identify strategic partnership opportunities and to create robust and effective alliances.

The successful applicant will be joining an established charity of 25 years, with a strong reputation for excellence in its field.

We welcome applications from successful individuals working within the charity, statutory or commercial sector.
 

A detailed knowledge of HIV is not essential as full training will be available to support the successful applicant.
 

like to discuss?

If you would like to have an informal discussion about the role, please email or ring Katherine Moulder on 0161 274 4499

Please download our application pack
in Word
in pdf
 

Closing date for applications - Midday Friday 20th November 2009.
Interviews will be held week commencing 7th December.

Please note this role will be subject to an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check.
No agency enquiries please.
Previous applicants need not apply.

HIV Support in Lancashire

posted: 21/08/2009

There are a range of support services for people living with HIV in Lancashire. There are services in Lancaster, Morecambe, Preston, Hyndburn, Blackburn.

North Lancashire

Monthly peer support meeting in Lancaster every second Thursday

Every 2nd Thursday each month, at 7 - 9pm  - the dates in 2009 are

10 September, 8 October, 12 November,17 December

In 2010 - 14 January, 11 February, 11 March, 8 April, 13 May, 10 June, 8 July, 12 August, 9 September, 14 October, 11 November, 9 December 2010.

This HIV peer support group is open to everyone living with HIV regardless of age, gender, sexuality, race or nationality. To find out more about the group and where it will meet, please call

• Sue 07825 207 024
• Peter 07855 342 732

In addition to this monthly support group, the organisation

Signposts MARC

 offers
 

• 1-2-1 support
• Case work
• Access to counselling
• Access to Complementary Therapies
• Information
• Advice
• Welfare Fund
• HIV Testing

For details please contact:
Signposts MARC
58 Regents Road
Morecambe
LA3 1TE

01254 419 021
email

Central and West Lancashire - CLASS, in Preston

CLASS
2 Union Court
Union Street
Preston
PR1 2HD

01772 253 840
Helpline: 01772 825 684
Email
Website 
 

CLASS, in Preston, offer people living with HIV

• Peer Support group – meets every Thursday evening
• 1-2-1 support
• Case work
• Counselling
• Complementary Therapies
• Information
• Advice
• Welfare Fund
• Events and Courses

East Lancashire

In East Lancashire, in Hyndburn, the Citizens Advice Bureau provides

• Information
• Advice

Hyndburn Area Citizens Advice Bureau provides free, confidential, impartial and independent advice and assistance to everbody regardless of race, gender, disability of sexuality.

Hyndburn CAB  - click for full bureau details. Find the bureau with this map
New Era Centre
Paradise Street
Accrington BB5 1PB
01254 394210
 

To book an appointment, Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm, please call 01254 304114
e-mail Christine Hamilton
 

+   +   +   +   +    +   +   +   +

THRIVINE
Thrivine has two peer support groups in Blackburn - if you have not been before please contact THRIVINE first - otherwise they may turn you away.

• one meets every Thursday afternoon  2pm - 4pm
• the other every 3rd Tuesday evening each month 6pm - 9pm (in 2010 : 19 January, 16 February, 16 March, 20 April, 18 May, 15 June, 20 July, 17 August, 21 September, 19 October, 16 November, 21 December).

THRIVINE
Unit 20
Business Development Centre
Eanam Wharf
Blackburn BB1 5BL

Adrienne on 07890 147 806

Email either Adrienne  or Thrivine 

Website - AIDrienne’s HIV Blog - Hivine is written by women who are HIV positive but still with a sense of humour.
 

+   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +

George House Trust  - in Blackburn

• 1-2-1 support
• Access to peer support
• Access to counselling
• Access to complementary therapies
• Information
• Advice
• Welfare Fund

For more information 

please ring or email
0161 274 4499
email 
website
 

Comments, Questions, Complaints, about services in Lancashire

If you have any comments, enquiries or complaints about HIV social support services in Lancashire, please contact the Lancashire HIV Services Coordinator, Peter Channon, by phone or email

email

01772 253 840