World AIDS Day

This World AIDS Day, we are looking at the effects of isolation on young people living with HIV.

Many young people with HIV don't feel they can speak to anyone about their status – but having just one safe and supportive relationship could make all the difference to their lives.

If someone close to you was diagnosed with HIV, could you be there for them?

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True stories

"The first person I told was my friend, who was also HIV positive. I knew he’d understand and be supportive, and that’s what I was hoping for. I didn’t want to be judged: I wanted to be understood. It was such a big relief telling someone, a huge burden off my shoulders."

"I was worried about telling my mum because I feared she’d be over-bearing and overly concerned, but she was amazing. She looked shocked, but then said: ‘You’re still my son and I love you – you can tell me anything and I’ll stand by you through it all’. She gave me the confidence to tell others."

"My mum told me to never ever tell anyone in the family, and that made me feel very alone – she took that decision away from me. There’s a lot of secret and lies and it would be nice to be truthful."

"I realise now that I was holding on to all the pressure rather than letting other people deal with it themselves. I can’t control how they will react and it’s too much pressure to try."

"Coming out about my status has bought me back to myself: I don’t feel I’m hiding part of myself or holding on to this secret. I’m able to be more relaxed, both with myself and other people."

"I felt very isolated and abandoned once told my status. I really wanted to stay with someone that night instead of going home on my own, but didn’t feel I could call anyone close to me because of the stigma around HIV."

If someone had died, or if I had cancer, I’d have felt able to reach out immediately to anyone around me – whereas now I had to think about how people would respond and whether I could cope with their response."

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