Lack of medical support in HIV infection and unstable mood states.

This study examined what kinds of social support are related to mood states in a sample of 50 HIV-positive patients without AIDS (46 men and 4 women; M age 36.5 yr., SD = 9.8). In the early stage of HIV infection, HIV patients without AIDS may be prone to depressive symptoms although none of these HIV-positive patients' symptoms fulfilled the DSM-III-R Mood Disorders including Major Depression. The depressive symptoms were not significantly related to lack of ordinary social support such as friends and family but were significantly associated with dissatisfaction with HIV/AIDS-related medical support.