Prolonged fear of AIDS as an early symptom of schizophrenia.

A modern complaint--fear of AIDS--is making its way into the world of psychopathology and is becoming a symptom of a wide range of psychiatric disorders, including severe ones. We present a case of a young man who developed a pathological bizarre preoccupation of having AIDS and underwent various unnecessary medical procedures, until finally he was diagnosed as suffering from a paranoid schizophrenic disorder. With the high media profile that AIDS has achieved in recent years, it is expected that AIDS has become the object of psychopathological processes. However, the length of time elapsed between the onset of symptoms and the appropriate psychiatric diagnosis, despite being examined by other medical professionals, is surprising. The discussion focuses on the diagnostic questions and on issues related to primary and secondary psychiatric prevention.