APATHY

"AIDS Fighters Face a Resistant Form of Apathy"

New York Times (04.03.05)::Andrew Jacobs
The disappearance of condoms and HIV prevention literature from gay
bars is a telling sign of how much momentum has been lost in the US fight
against AIDS. Public health officials and AIDS advocates say many gay men
have adopted a laissez-faire attitude about safe sex, and they cite as
examples the continued popularity of crystal methamphetamine, a rise in
barebacking, and widespread apathy in which HIV is seen more as a nuisance
than a life-threatening disease. The reality that gay men continue to have
unprotected sex has vexed health experts for 20 years, though the struggle
became more pronounced with the introduction of HAART in the mid-1990s,
which sharply reduced AIDS death rates but fed the misconception that HIV is
an easily managed disease.
"Just because folks are well informed doesn't mean they'll necessarily
make the wisest choices in terms of their health," said Dr. Ronald
Valdiserri, director of AIDS prevention at CDC. "This is true of all
humanity, not just gay men."
The only hope for changing behavior, say public health experts and
psychologists, is to recognize and address the underlying factors that cause
men to take risks, such as loneliness, self-hatred, and alienation.
Perry Halkitis, a New York University psychologist who studies the
relationship between drugs and sex, said many gay men who take risks are
grappling with profound mental health issues. "They do it because the sexual
risk fulfills a need, or somehow makes them feel better about themselves,"
said Halkitis.
Other advocates say that approach is naïve and call for more personal
responsibility. Crystal meth needs to be demonized, unprotected sex must be
stigmatized, and people need to be reminded that living with HIV can be
grueling, they argue. A key first step, they say, would be for
pharmaceutical firms to stop running ads that portray life with AIDS as
carefree.