The purpose of herpes support groups is to help you deal with the psychological aspect of herpes and provide information about treatments and research. People often write to me for support. They either feel ashamed, helpless, and dirty or just want the pain to go away. I do everything I can in my book Herpes Wise and on my website to tell people how to alleviate the physical pain, but Im fully aware that I cannot provide psychological pain relief to all of my readers. Thats why I feel local herpes support groups are important.
The International Herpes Alliance defines the role of a support group as an entity that can provide medical advice, refer patients to clinics and doctors and help people pass through different emotional stages. They say that for most people, genital herpes is a psychological disease, not a physical one. I must agree with that. People are afraid of herpes and often fear rejection. Some people just deny being affected by herpes. These are the people who dont disclose they have herpes to their new partners. Deep inside, they often feel dirty and ugly and lack self-esteem. Going to a herpes support group will help them express themselves and build...