Hi there....Did he see a psychologist for therapy or a psychiatrist? Also, was medication mentioned to help him? Also, is this all obsessive thinking or did he actually have a REAL experience where he could have become infected?
In any case, I have had HIV anxiety before. It was part of my OCD thinking. It was a very long time ago, around when it was first on the scene. What helped me was to sit in an HIV clinic. I sat there for a few weeks on my lunch hour. It was part of my therapy to realize that you cannot get HIV from touching things, drinking from things that HIV+ people use, etc. In fact, if you look at the statistics it is pretty difficult to actually become HIV infected. There are certain pathways to infection and that is unprotected sex with an HIV positive person, needle stick with HIV infected blood (healthcare worker or drug user)...these are really the most common transmission methods right now. AND even if this were to occur, the chances of becoming infected are less than 1 percent.
Education is key along with therapy. Learning how to deal with the thoughts, how to self-coach yourself through them, how to breathe through the anxiety. I know it sounds like work but it is the best way to help him. OCD is about doubt which is why he takes the test and feels good for about 5 seconds and then starts back up with the thoughts of what-if.
So sorry I was typing in a fury... that’s HIV anxiety not giv Ohio? Lol