The legacy of the past

The Legacy of the Past Gay Men in Mid-Life And the Impact of HIV/AIDS By Spencer Cox Executive Director The Medius Institute For Gay Men’s Health The Medius Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health, well-being, and longevity of gay men. [...] Gay men now in mid-life came of age before or during the dark early days of the epidemic, and have survived to see the dramatic amelioration of its effects in the United States. [...] By 1988 gay males had already on average lost six lovers, friends, and/or family members.18 These experiences of intense, multiple losses have been described as forming a “multiple loss syndrome” in which the constant interruption of the grieving process by the additional loss prolonged the mourning process and prevented completion of the tasks of mourning.19,20 In addition, the early days of the [...] This discrimination, coupled with the failure of society to recognize the importance of gay men’s relationships, exacerbated the pain of illness, caregiving and loss.21 18 Martin, J., and L. Dean, "Effects of AIDS-Related Bereavement and HIV-Related Illness on Psychological Distress Among Gay Men: A 7-Year Longitudinal Study, 1985-91," Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 61 (1993), pp. [...] PTSD is particularly associated with situations involving the threat of death to one’s self or others, but can also be caused by violent attacks The diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder was created to describe the symptoms seen in Holocaust survivors and veterans of the war in Vietnam.