A longitudinal account of staff adaptation to AIDS patients on a psychiatric unit. NLM AIDSLINE Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1987. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

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A longitudinal account of staff adaptation to AIDS patients on a psychiatric unit.

Hosp Community Psychiatry. 1986 Dec;37(12):1235-8. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/87107419
Amchin J; Polan HJ

Abstract: As more patients with AIDS and AIDS-related syndromes are admitted to psychiatric units, staffs must meet new diagnostic and therapeutic challenges while adapting to the unique stresses of treating these patients. The authors discuss several case vignettes to illustrate how the staff of a voluntary acute-stay psychiatric unit progressed over a two-year period from having difficulty treating AIDS patients within the usual therapeutic milieu to directly confronting the issues raised by the disease both among themselves and in the patient community. The authors believe that the staff's ability to cope with AIDS patients may have strongly influenced the patient community's ability to cope, and that clinical experience and educational programs were major contributors to the staff's adaptation. They conclude with several recommendations for psychiatric staffs beginning to treat AIDS patients.
Keywords: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/*PSYCHOLOGY Adult *Attitude of Health Personnel AIDS-Related Complex/PSYCHOLOGY Case Report Homosexuality Human Male Organic Mental Disorders/*PSYCHOLOGY Organic Mental Disorders, Psychotic/PSYCHOLOGY Personnel, Hospital/*PSYCHOLOGY *Professional-Patient Relations *Psychiatric Department, Hospital JOURNAL ARTICLE

KWDacquiredimmunodeficiencysyndrome/KWDpsychologyadultKWDattitudeofhealthpersonnelaids-relatedcomplex/psychologycasereporthomosexualityhumanmaleorganicmentaldisorders/KWDpsychologyorganicmentaldisorders,psychotic/psychologypersonnel,hospital/KWDpsychologyKWDprofessional-patientrelationsKWDpsychiatricdepartment,hospitaljournalarticle
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Copyright © 1987 - National Library of Medicine. Reproduced under license with the National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD.

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