Part 1 looks at two elements of the medical aspects of AIDS. One article details the actual mechanism of infection with HIV and the subsequent course of the illness. Another article discusses AIDS from the view of the medical practitioner, including questions a doctor may be asked by patients who fear they have been exposed to AIDS. Part 2 contains contributions that examine more intensively the spread of the AIDS virus among the various risk groups and, in particular, among IV drug abusers. Among the highlights are a national perspective on the distribution of cases of AIDS; findings from studies that compare (1) transmission patterns on the East and West coasts, and (2) drug-use patterns of IV drug users with AIDS and a cohort of drug abusers participating in the Treatment Outcome Prospective Study; a discussion of cases of AIDS among IV drug users in New York City; and a comparison of demographic and drug use patterns of Bronx IV drug users with and without AIDS. Another contribution examines IV drug abusers in San Francisco. Part 3 looks at mental health issues stemming from both neurological complications of AIDS and from the reactions directed at AIDS patients by their families and society. Among topics discussed are the psychological results of unemployment, loss of health insurance, and alienation of AIDS patients from friends and families; the psycholgoical reactions of the patient as a function of physical state; and ethical issues involved in the mental health care of AIDS patients. The questions AIDS poses for drug treatment professionals and the potential for the development of educational programs to help IV drug abusers learn to lessen their high-risk behaviors are the focus of Part 4, while Part 5 examines social and ethical implications of AIDS. Tables, chapter references, glossary, index, and 300-item bibliography. For individual articles, see NCJ 112199-112221. (Author summary modified)