Throughout the last 25 years, billions of dollars have been funneled into medical research for HIV/AIDS treatment with little monetary attention being given to psychological treatment for survivors of the epidemic within the United States.

According to the report “Legacy of the Past: Gay Men in Mid-Life and the Impact of HIV/AIDS,” released Dec. 11 by The Medius Institute for Gay Men’s Health, further research is needed regarding the psychological impact of the early HIV/AIDS epidemic on gay men bereaved by the loss of many of their closest friends and partners during the early years of the epidemic.

The report suggests that more research must be done, both quantitatively and qualitatively, on the correlation between gay middle-aged men who experienced the brunt of loss at the onset of the epidemic and increased rates of substance abuse and risky sexual behavior as a result of the epidemic. Throughout the report, juxtapositions are made between trauma experienced by survivors of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and events such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Oklahoma City bombing and the Vietnam War.

The report states that immediately following 9/11, a systematic effort by the United States government to treat the psychological effects associated with such trauma for friends and families of victims was in place. Not so for the multitude of gay men who experienced similar trauma after losing the majority of a generation in their community.

It is estimated by the Centers for Disease Control that more than 267,500 gay men died of AIDS in the United States during those bewildering early years.

“Gay men in mid-life came of age during the dark early days of the epidemic, and have survived to see the dramatic amelioration of its effects in the United States,” the report cites, figuring, “It would be surprising if such experiences did not have long-standing effects on the lives of survivors.”

Such effects range from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to an increased propensity for substance abuse and a higher likelihood of engaging in risky sexual behavior.

“Because of homophobia, it is more likely that [gay men] may not have the resources needed to be able to publicly discuss and find a network of support for themselves to help them during that time,” said Alexis Solomon, director of bereavement services at the Odyssey Hospice of San Diego. “Drugs and alcohol are chosen especially if that person doesn’t have a good outlet for discussion.”

Solomon spoke to the importance of grieving fully after the death of a loved one.

“Multiple losses complicate the grief process in that it puts additional components in the mix when one is dealing with not only one person, but now another,” she said. “It becomes an internal problem and there are all sorts of psychological and emotional as well as physical complications from unprocessed grief.”

The report draws upon another study that highlights the phenomenon of “‘multiple loss syndrome,” in which the constant interruption of the grieving process by additional loss prolongs the mourning process and prevents completion of the tasks of mourning. If indeed the grieving process for gay middle-aged men is laden with constant interruption by multiple deaths, the report concludes that it may lay the foundation and predisposition for the development of PTSD.

Just as Vietnam veterans with tumultuous childhoods may have a predisposition to PTSD following combat trauma, gay men who underwent childhood trauma and then subsequent trauma associated with the AIDS epidemic have an increased chance of PTSD development.

“We are a grief-illiterate culture, which can affect all members of our society because not only are we not educated in the grief process, we don’t allow for it either,” Solomon said.

Although society may be unsure about how to handle grief, the report finds that our culture is especially benighted about how to systematically address, identify and treat the grief of gay men who have experienced a great amount of loss due to the AIDS pandemic.

For a more in-depth look at the study, visit www.mediusinstitute.org.

Individuals coping with the loss of a loved one this holiday season due to HIV/AIDS or any other ailment can join The Center and VITAS Innovative Hospice Care as they periodically host free bereavement programs. To find out more, call LaVon Switzer at (858) 499-8901 or e-mail her at lavon.switzer@vitas.com.