Exaggerated fear(2)

Staff from the Chengdu Fear of AIDS Intervention Center (CFAIC) spread knowledge about AIDS and AIDS phobia. Photo: Courtesy of CFAIC

Zhang said that Wu's case demonstrated a number of factors that are common among AIDS-phobic people. They are typically afraid that they will be discriminated against and tend to demonize AIDS/HIV sufferers due to misunderstandings.

For example, a lot of people incorrectly think that they can catch it from just shaking hands with people who might have AIDS.

"I think the social stigma about AIDS is the major reason. In foreign countries, there are not so many people suffering from this phobia because they consider it to be a normal infectious disease [and understand its limitations], but AIDS is exaggerated in China," said Zhao Xudong, director of the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychiatry at the Shanghai East Hospital. "People have attached certain cultural biases to this disease and link AIDS patients with negative associations."

Persaud also pointed out that one theory states that China's media and government are worried about AIDS, so have pushed a lot of stories about the subject, which has distorted people's awareness of the likelihood of catching AIDS. Persaud said, relatively speaking, hepatitis and tuberculosis are much bigger problems in China in terms of the number of people affected. But the media coverage on the two diseases is dwarfed by that of AIDS. The Chinese public seems to be unaware that they are at a greater risk of contracting the two diseases compared to AIDS, Persaud suggested.

Zhao noted that people should not panic over the outbreak of AIDS phobia. "The situation is much better compared with the 1990s. Now more people have a rational attitude toward AIDS. There just needs to be a process to reduce discrimination, just like the acceptance of hepatitis."

Zhao also pointed out that there are also phobias about other health conditions, with those suffering from AIDS phobia comprising roughly 10 percent of the total number of people with health-related phobias.

Challenges of therapy

Li Qiang (pseudonym), a man in his 20s, has been living in "darkness" due to fear of AIDS/HIV since last August, when he engaged in activities which he thinks might have made him susceptible to contracting AIDS, though he refused to give details about what those activities were. Now he is even fearful of the words "hospital" and "drawing blood."

"Especially when I am alone, when night falls or the days become colder, I am gloomy all day, feeling that there is no hope," said Li, who now tries to avoid work or socializing with friends.

Afraid of telling anyone, Li instead tried to find advice on online message boards, but if anything, they reinforced his fears and prejudices. "Now my only concern is whether the testing method used on me is scientific or not, after I saw a piece of news saying that it is not accurate. If there is no problem with the testing method, then I will be relieved of the phobia," said Li.

Zhang pointed out how extreme the problem can be. "AIDS phobia can have a severe impact on the sufferers. It can influence their work and personal lives, and some will find their personalities suddenly change. Some even hallucinated about bleeding profusely from injections."

Li underwent psychological counseling twice this year, and was momentarily relieved after talking with the doctors. But several days after the therapy, he returned to his depressed state.

"Those who have not engaged in activities that put them at a higher risk of contracting AIDS find it easier to recover after some misunderstandings are corrected," Zhao said. "But for the smaller group who have participated in high risk behaviors, the symptoms can be recurrent."

"Having the symptoms return is normal, but we still think this can be cured," said Zhang. "Cognitive therapy is the most commonly recommended course, which can give them personalized intervention based on their own personality and environment. If they have severe mental disorders, we will transfer them to psychiatrists."

Zhang also noted online sources can often be inaccurate, and cross-counseling using online and offline sources can cause conflicting answers and increase their anxiety. "Also, try to distract your attention rather than falling into the inertia of focusing on the website. Finally, you must trust in your counselor once you choose one."

Lack of professionals

After a recent counseling session, Li still decided to have another test. "I don't know where I can get help from," he said, adding that very few medical resources are available.

"I once posted a Weibo message saying that I was fed up with the phobic people who came to me for help. One even called me at midnight. I told them not to panic, but they do not believe me," said Liu Yunlong, who was infected with HIV in 2006.

"Mental therapy for AIDS phobia is an interdisciplinary subject which demands both preventative medicine and also psychology. But professionals with these two backgrounds are rare," said Zhang.

Wu is now a volunteer with CFAIC. "After recovering from AIDS phobia, I got better and have a more rational understanding of it and I know what phobic people are really afraid of. So after receiving training, I want to provide help for these people, who have limited options for treatment," Wu said.