A new HIV diagnosis doesn't have to be nerve-wracking. Advocates share their advice

Receiving a new HIV diagnosis can be a life-altering and nerve-wracking experience, so it’s important to give yourself time and space to process the information. Though there have been huge advancements in the field of HIV treatment over the last several decades, it’s OK to take a moment to feel all of your emotions after receiving a new diagnosis. In this episode of The Talk, advocates share their own experiences with getting diagnosed, as well as their advice for moving forward.

“If you’re getting a new diagnosis, it is very much scary territory, and I would always tell people to make sure you honor your feeling first and foremost,” DéShaun Armbrister, a dancer and HIV advocate, says. “It is definitely a change. There is going to be change in routine and things of that nature.”

Though your routine might have to shift, there are many more options for treatment to manage your HIV diagnosis than there were in the past, as addressed in this past episode of The Talk.

“What we do have now is a lot of options in terms of treatment,” Amrbrister continues. “Me personally, I do still take a pill a day, but there’s also injectables where you can actually go in like every other month.”

Related: How to find an HIV-competent healthcare provider, according to advocates

When Jose Barrientos, a social worker and HIV advocate, was first diagnosed in 2010, he was on a cocktail of medications, but has since shifted to a different treatment option that works best for managing his diagnosis. He encourages people newly diagnosed to remember that, “now we have undetectable, we have U=U.” His advice for navigating a new diagnosis is to approach with curiosity and ask for what you need.

“Ask as many questions as possible,” he says. “Ask for support. Your doctor and your nurse will guide you to reach undetectable.”

“When you’re newly diagnosed, it’s not just about the treatment,” HIV activist Ivy Kwan Arce says. “It’s about the care. My advice is you need to find a clinic that’s very familiar with this topic. You need to have a team that advocates for you.”

Tony Morrison, a media strategist and HIV advocate, says that while there’s a lot of fear ingrained in us surrounding HIV, it’s important to remember that you have options and are not alone.

“Starting my HIV patient medication treatment journey, I had no idea that, just for me, one pill a day would keep me happy and healthy,” Morrison says. “My HIV status is the most managed thing in my life, and to say that is huge. Monumental. I think what’s embedded in us is this fear of not making it. This fear of being alone. Why I’m sitting here today is to dispel not some but all of that, and to show that this is what HIV can and does look like in 2026.”