Children, adolescents and AIDS.

HIV-1 and AIDS are emerging as significant problems for medical and mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, or women of child-bearing age. Aggressive medical care, and new research advances are allowing infected individuals to live longer. However, prevention remains the only way to save lives. Developmentally informed and culturally sensitive psychiatric input is needed to 1) facilitate coordinated care of children and mothers, 2) shape educational programs which can effect behavioral change, targeting children, adolescents, Latinos, and African-American women, and 3) work with children, their families, and their communities to combat stigma and secrecy. Although the obstacles often appear overwhelming, pediatric AIDS invites clinical and research involvement to prevent what cannot yet be cured.