Psychosocial counselling of patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Lusaka, Zambia.

We describe a method of psychosocial counselling that we have used with HIV-infected patients in Zambia. The protocol included providing the patient with factual information about HIV infection, understanding the patient's concept of their illness, and teaching the need to change sexual behaviour, reduce alcohol consumption, prevent stress, and adjust to family changes. Our aims have been to enable HIV-infected persons to avoid behaviour that might damage their own health, to minimize further transmission of HIV, and to prolong the period of asymptomatic HIV infection and life expectancy.