Write a Comment
3 Comments
I love that you pointed out the syndemics experienced by MSM. I heard Amy Herrick, of Pittsburg discuss her research at the Atlanta conference in 2011. Since then, I have been tracking syndemics under the 101003 CDC grant award. What I have found is that most of the MSM I see have experienced child sexual abuse, drug use, have been incarcerated at some point in their life and have mental health issues. Because of internalized homophobia, most of the clients exhibit compulsive sexual behavior because they believe that at some point they will become infected with HIV since they are gay. We are working to address the underlying issues and help clients build better self esteem and hopefully make better choices that reduce their risk for HIV infection.
Thank you for the excellent points you presented concerning the 19th International AIDS Conference. It is remarkable that this marks the first time the event was able to be held in the United States. Previously HIV positive visitors were barred from entering the U.S., so this conference could never be held here. I remember when Vancouver, Canada was the host some years back and how exciting it was to connect with people from around the world and compare notes on how they were coping with fighting HIV. As public fears regarding "catching" HIV through casual contact have slowly faded, more courageous HIV positive men and women have been coming out and publicly stating their status, thereby providing role models. It won't be not be possible for all, to comfortably "come out" of the HIV closet, but hopefully the brave actions of those that do, will help pave the way for greater acceptance.
Anonymously
Syndemic, very fascinating is this 1990 word to try and prove the concept of an old topic. In my community we call it the Man or the infirmities of trama,stima and lack of hope for a relationship of love,peace and joy from the proven seemly successful elders. This is truly a mental health problem or attack on a person soul. Yes I will agree whole heartly that trama in childhood leads to confussion, lack trust for elders, and the outcome of pain and mistaken paths. I also believe it is compounded, for instance a child has one trama in growing up and then another in their teens, and then another in adult hood and they go unnotice by sociaty (in my opinion the trama is not to be notice in a comunity by their elders,to ask where is Love and they will despertly search for that Love and the loving relationship to connect with another that will be their community, even it that elders or person is tring to overcome their personal trama with a lack of wisdom, just to get food,shelter and a bit of the economic pie while tring to keep their soul true. Yes stima is real and not just for HIV people, but a host of people in our community where each day they too like the wealthly and the well educated strive for a peace of hope to find their love and their community. Again it is about the community or in my Faith it is about the commune and women and children or the poor in spirit are last in the acedemic standing or below the lords of enconomic power and age old story. The Goods News is their is hope and in my Faith the poor in spirit will inherent the earth and one day it will be no more. Healing the trama of the past is truly takes a village in understand and acting on the responsiblies of tuth with loving actions and my hopes and prayer are to march foward to unit with the healing love that breaks down the chains of poverty and employ the ones that have been given economic power, gits of compassion to empty their store house to our communities for the little one in need to win the war on poverty and stima. Sorry I missed that talk at the internation conferance on AIDS and hope many direct their energy on this topic of Syndemic with hope, action and commune.
August 25, 2012