I know the world of HIV/AIDS is very different from my younger years or even when I was diagnosed. Still, it's a very difficult thing for most people to find out they're HIV+. Like most aspects in the fight against HIV, there have been advancements in testing. It's more accurate, precise & expeditious than before. To the point it can be done at home via the mail.
I just can't get myself entirely behind that approach. I realize the benefits, but I also the pitfalls. I think there a lot of people, even today, that would be so overwhelmed at the news, it might be the end of them. HIV may not be a death sentence now, but it is very much the end of the life you were living as you were living it. Everything changes once you're diagnosed with a chronic illness, especially a virus with such stigma & social baggage.
I hope these at home tests helps those it can. I hope others are honest enough with themselves to realize this is the right approach for them. I don't think I would've handled an at home test well. Once it came back positive, I'd probably just disappeared. There are some things you can find out that are just too much. Maybe they wouldn't have been at another time, in another setting or with support. But alone, they're like tidals waves crashing down on you.
Take care.
Cya...
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