Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has made a wide impact not limited to those persons who have or are likely to contact it. A case history of a man with a near-delusional belief he had AIDS is presented to exemplify the individual issues that concern about AIDS may raise. Thorough exploration of the dynamic interplay of biological, psychological and social factors is recommended in each case before reassurance may be effective. Psychiatric consultation should assist in developing optimal intervention in each individual case.
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