With the increasing rate of people infected with HIV/AIDS, it is essential that we are aware of the importance of developing coping strategies to help these patients. It is obvious that social support from friends, family and the community at large must be provided to help these people infected with the disease. However, it should also be noted that social support is not always helpful for people living with HIV/AIDS. We will explore both the good and bad aspects of social support and discuss the stigma attached to the disease. However, in most cases, social support is perceived positively and actually benefits the person with HIV/AIDS. The effects of social support will also never be the same or as effective as another due to the unpredictable nature and stages of the disease. The stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS is one of the main reasons why people suffering from the disease do not reach out for social support. HIV/AIDS is considered a disease primarily linked to risky sexual behavior such as prostitution, homosexual men and drug users. This stigma makes it difficult for people suffering from the disease to accept the fact that they are HIV positive and also makes it more difficult to combat the epidemic globally (Avert.org, 2014). This adds to the list of many stressors that arise when a person is infected with HIV/AIDS. Some of the stressors that these people suffering from HIV/AIDS may face are the diagnosis itself, unemployment, relationship breakdown, ongoing treatment and subsequent illnesses. are linked to disease. It is therefore important that these patients have a support chain. Each link would provide a different type of support, namely emotional, informational and instrumental. Social...... middle of article......6). Coping and social support as determinants of quality of life in HIV/AIDS care, 8, 15-31.Green, G. (1993). Editorial review: Social support and HIV. AIDS Care, 5 (1), pp. 87--104. Leserman, J., Jackson, ED, Petitto, JM, Golden, RN, Silva, SG, Perkins, DO, Cai, J., Folds, JD, & Evans, DL (1999). Progression to AIDS: The effects of stress, depressive symptoms, and social support. Psychosomatic Medicine, 61 (3), pp. 397-406. Mizuno, Y., Purcell, D.W., Dawson-Rose, C., Parsons, J.T. & Team (2003). Correlates of depressive symptoms among HIV-positive injection drug users: the role of social support. AIDS Care, 15 (5), pp. 689-698. Schreurs, KMG & De Ridder, DTD (1997). Integrating coping and social support perspectives: Implications for the study of adaptation to chronic illness. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 17 (1), pp... 89-112.