Abstract
The purpose of the current study was to conduct field research of HIV positive patients from the AIDS Clinical Center (ACC) who had previously consulted with a psychiatrist. The patients of the research were 86 HIV positive patients (31 inpatients, 55 outpatients) who participated in a National Center for Global Health and Medicine research project from April, 2007 through March, 2009. Twenty-four of the 86 patients (27.9%) were diagnosed with Adjustment Disorder at the initial visit in the Department of Psychiatry. Among those 24 adjustment disorder patients, 9 were diagnosed with HIV infection, and the direct cause of stress was due to large issues, such as notification of HIV. In addition, 15 patients were diagnosed with HIV, and the direct cause of stress was due to lesser issues, such as work, family, or romance related problems. Therefore, it is possible to suggest that the HIV infection was not the direct cause of the adjustment disorder for 60% of the patients. The current situation, which requires the patient to wait a long time to get consultation with psychiatrists, supports this result. Therefore it is important to keep in mind that there are other causes of stress and anxiety than HIV infection when consulting HIV positive patients and when determining patient needs.
