The psychological consequences in patients undergoing a POCKit HSV-2 test

Knowledge of Partners’ Genital Herpes Protects against Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 Acquisition

“…There is an ongoing debate about whether a wider use of HSV serologic tests in the general population is appropriate [40,44,45]. Concerns range from issues surrounding the accuracy of the tests, to the burden on healthcare practitioners of providing appropriate counseling, to the psychosocial distress that may accompany a new diagnosis of genital herpes [46,47]. Recent studies addressing these concerns have been reassuring: no lasting distress was identified in persons receiving a serologic diagnosis of HSV-2 infection [48][49][50].…”

Herpes simplex virus type 2 serological testing and psychosocial harm: a systematic review

“…There were no changes in mental health scores, depression, anxiety or mood scores when compared with baseline,28 32 when compared with HSV-2-seronegative participants28 32 or when compared with HSV-2-seropositive individuals with a previous diagnosis of genital herpes 33. Similarly, Meyer et al 27 tested patients in an urban HIV clinic and found no significant changes in mood disturbance for patients who tested positive compared with pre-test baseline or when compared with those with a previous history of HSV-2.…”

“…Among the six studies that assessed mental health impact, four reported no mental health impact from HSV serological testing on 203 participants 27 28 32 33. There were no changes in mental health scores, depression, anxiety or mood scores when compared with baseline,28 32 when compared with HSV-2-seronegative participants28 32 or when compared with HSV-2-seropositive individuals with a previous diagnosis of genital herpes 33.…”

“…Four studies also compared participants who tested HSV-2 positive with participants who tested HSV-2 negative 25 28 31 32. Three studies compared responses in HSV-2-positive participants with and without a history of genital herpes 27 30 33…”

Evaluation of a New Point‐of‐Care Serologic Assay for Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 Infection

“…Importantly, several studies have demonstrated that serological diagnosis of HSV-2 infection (including diagnosis with a rapid test) was not associated with adverse psychological effects [11,12]. Nonetheless, because genital herpes is a lifelong infection with implications for current and future sexual partnerships, a primary goal must be to reduce false-positive and false-negative results that might cause unnecessary distress and treatment or unwitting ongoing transmission, respectively.…”