Book excerpt: This volume contains a selection of key contributions to the discussion on the psychological and social implications on HIV infection. It contains up-to-date and authoritative papers by senior practitioners and researchers in the field of the psychological and social aspects of HIV infection. The book will appeal to those involved in providing care for people with HIV infections, be they physicians and nurses or psychologists, social workers and psychiatrists, as well as those involved in preventing the spread of the HIV infection. From the start of the HIV epidemic, the psychological and social aspects of the AIDS infection have been recognized. What could have been regarded simply as an infectious disease was soon acknowledged as a global problem that raised important issues about its transmission and prevention; economic, ethical and legal questions regarding the mental health consequences and the need for access to medical and social care.