He came in concerned about an itchy, burning rash on his penis. Silently, I could tell he thought it may be herpes. And I thought so too.

When I told him that I too suspected herpes and that we needed to test him for the condition, he silently agreed. I told him about the test and about how we’d address the herpes if that is what he had.

I knew he had questions, but I could also tell that he was so overwhelmed with the prospect of having the condition that he shut down. He was completely...