PATIENTS IN CELLULOID: EMPLOYING MOVIES AS AN INSTRUCTIONAL TOOL TO STUDY THE PSYCHOSOCIAL EXIGENCIES OF HIV/AIDS PATIENTS

Though the developments in medical science have managed to prolong the lives of HIV positive patients, suicidal ideations and depression still mar their quality of life. The social taboos and stigmas surrounding this disease further exacerbate their condition. The only source of succour for most patients is their doctors, from whom they end up expecting more than mere medical support. Thus, the onus of ensuring the mental and physical wellness of their patients fall on the shoulders of the doctors, who, owing to their workload or occupational hazards like desensitization, might not be in a position to determine the exact nature of their psychosocial needs. The aim of this paper is to explore the scope of instructional use of movies in priming the medical students to ably handle such needs using the celluloid as an instrument of learning.