When working with a client who has recently been diagnosed with HIV/Aids, it is important to understand the increased risk of suicidal ideation he might be experiencing (Zeng, Li, Hong, Zhang, Babbitt, Liu, Li, Qiao, Guo, & Cai, 2018; Bitew, Andargie, Tadesse, Belete, Fekadu, & Mekonen, 2016). A counselor working with such a client should know the types of questions she should ask in order to determine if the client is at increased risk of suicide or self-harm.

Such questions include:
Are you currently having any thoughts about harming yourself physically or killing yourself?

If “yes,” have you thought about exactly what you might do to harm yourself? Do you have a plan in mind or have you taken any steps towards making a plan or harming yourself?

Do you feel as if there is anyone in your life who can support you now that you’ve been diagnosed with HIV? Is that person aware of your diagnosis and willing to stand by you?

Has your diagnosis led to you feeling hopeless or as if life is no longer worth living?

Have you experienced increased depression, lethargy, sleep or eating disorders, or a general feeling that nothing is worth doing since your diagnosis?

Since your diagnosis, have you felt that you are a drain on those around you or that the people in your life would be better off without you? (Fiedorowicz, Weldon, & Bergus, 2015)

If Eazy-E admitted to suicidal ideation or actually planning suicide or some other form of self-harm, it would be important to determine what the next steps are to help him (Fiedorowicz et al., 2010; Cain & Loprinzi, 2018). If he has not yet formulated any plan to harm himself, continued counseling and antidepressants might be sufficient; however, if he admits to having already formed a plan to end his own life, it will most likely be necessary to hospitalize him for his own protection (Fiedorowicz et al., 2015). I would listen to his symptoms and ask him further questions about their severity, how often he experiences them, and how constant they are in his thinking (Fiedorowicz et al., 2015).

If Eazy-E is in the stage of suicidal ideation but has made no definite plans yet, I would encourage him to continue counseling with me, suggest some support groups that might be helpful to him and prescribe an antidepressant and possibly an anti-anxiety medication.

There are several risk factors that might increase Eazy-E’s risk of suicide (Bitew et al., 2016; Zeng et al., 2018). These include:
Lack or loss of support from people close to him
A rapid or severe deterioration in his physical health, either due to the HIV or for any other reason
Ostracization from people around him due to his HIV status or being shunned or discriminated against due to that status
Developing a sense of hopelessness, helplessness, or feeling that the remainder of his life is not worth living
Any sudden changes to his way of life such as losing his source of income, breaking up with his girlfriend, or experiencing another loss (Zeng et al., 2018)

While I have never experienced being diagnosed with HIV/Aids or been given a sentence of only a short time yet to live, I have gone through some health issues that remind me to some extent of what he is currently going though. I remember that at the time I was experiencing this, I felt a loss of a sense of control over my own body and life. I might be likely to attribute these same feelings to Eazy-E due to his situation, even if he does not express having these feelings himself. This might cause me to treat him more aggressively than is necessary or good for him; for instance, hospitalizing him when this step is unnecessary.