Am J Psychiatry 1988; 145:1130-1132
Copyright © 1988 by American Psychiatric Association
A new and timely delusion: the complaint of having AIDS
SL Mahorney and JO Cavenar Jr
Psychiatry Service, VA Medical Center, Durham, NC 27705.
Delusions presented by patients with psychiatric disorders are often a
combination of psychopathology and current events. The authors present
three cases that document the delusion of having acquired immune deficiency
syndrome (AIDS) in patients who were not members of high- risk groups but
had psychiatric disorders. This clinical phenomenon raises psychodynamic
issues as well as adds a new dimension to the controversy over AIDS
testing.
