By Dr. Justin
Sexual health
Physical health, mental health, and sexual health are often thought of as entirely separate things; however, they are closely related and you cannot necessarily talk about one without touching the other.
For example, a person’s overall physical health can affect sexual performance, such as when a person has a chronic condition such as heart disease that interferes with blood flow to the genitals. At the same time, sexual health can also affect physical health, with research showing that orgasm stimulates the immune system, among other effects.
Mental health and sexual health are connected in other ways. For example, depression (and medical treatment for the condition) can decrease sex drive or create other sexual difficulties. Likewise, when someone has sexual difficulties, it can lead to the development of anxiety.
With World Mental Health Day upon us this month, it’s worth taking some time to explore more of the link between sexual and mental health, as well as cover tips for managing both. .
When mental health affects sexual health
Mental health problems have the potential to disrupt our sex lives in a very short time. However, they can affect different people in different ways.
Consider depression. For many people, depression itself can reduce arousal and libido. This is especially true for those who substance inside – that is, people whose depression makes them introverted and socially withdrawn. They can become immersed in depressing thoughts that make sexual arousal difficult.
In contrast, depression has almost the opposite effect on others, in that it may trigger higher levels of sexual behavior and/or greater sexual risk. This is especially true for those who Peripherals – ie extroverts to deal with. These people may use sex as a pain reliever, or they may seek out intense activities to “feel alive” or regulate their mood state.
Whether you’re an outsider or an insider, depression and other mental health issues can have a dramatic effect on sexual health and well-being, which is why it’s important to seek treatment and management of these problems if and when they arise.
However, treating mental health problems can create another set of challenges when it comes to sex. For example, one of the most common treatments for depression is the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as Prozac. A common side effect of SSRIs is that they can decrease sex drive, inhibit sexual arousal, and delay orgasm.
This means that seeking treatment for depression may not solve sexual problems and, in fact, can create even more challenges. This is why it is important to discuss sexual health with your mental health provider when seeking treatment.
For example, if depression has gone into remission but a person is still having sexual problems, it’s time to talk to a doctor. There are other antidepressants that don’t target the neurotransmitter serotonin – instead, some target dopamine. Those drugs have lower rates of side effects when it comes to sexual function.
It’s important to find the treatment that’s right for you to effectively address your sexual and mental health concerns simultaneously, for better than for bad.
When sexual health affects mental health
Sexual health issues can affect your mental health in a number of ways. One common way this happens is when people have an incurable sexually transmitted infection (STI), such as genital herpes, HPV, or HIV. Sometimes, living with an STI can lead to feelings of shame and embarrassment; however, it is not necessary to feel this way. People can also experience feelings of self-blame; they may feel like other partners won’t want to stay with them anymore, and/or they may be worried about the long-term impact on their physical health.
All of these can lead to feelings of stress, loneliness, depression, and anxiety. The mentality of STIs is a big part of why we need to get over the STI stigma more broadly. STIs are extremely common, having one doesn’t mean you’re a bad person or that you’ve done something wrong, and even if you have an STI that can’t be cured, there are ways Controlling these infections can enable you to lead a healthy and happy life. life and relationships (both sexual and romantic).
If you’re experiencing depression or anxiety due to an STI, it’s important to talk to your doctor about the best treatment options for managing your health and protecting your partner(s), as well as finding seek appropriate social and emotional support. This may involve talking to a certified sex therapist, finding an online support community, or reading articles that describe how people navigate similar experiences.
Another aspect of sexual health that can affect mental health is sexual difficulties. For example, having problems with sexual performance such as not being able to get or maintain an erection when you want it can cause feelings of shame, embarrassment, or anxiety that lead to future sexual situations. future.
When people start to worry about the same problem that comes up every time they have sex, this can set the stage for a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you become overly worried about the same thing happening again, this mindset can cause it to happen, despite the fact that there’s nothing physically wrong with it. And when one-time difficulties turn into persistent difficulties, this can lead to a larger mental health problem, such as depression.
Sexual difficulties stemming from other causes, including an underlying health condition or hormonal imbalance, can have similar psychological effects.
If you are experiencing sexual difficulties that are causing these spillover effects, it is important to seek appropriate treatment to address both problems. In some situations, simply treating underlying sexual difficulties can resolve a mental health problem by restoring sexual self-esteem and confidence.
Takeaways
I hope you see from all of this that your mental health and sexual health are intimately linked. Mental health problems can turn into sexual health problems, and sexual health problems can turn into mental health problems.
So taking care of your mental health means taking care of your sexual health, and vice versa. And when you’re having trouble in one area or another (or both), it’s important to seek appropriate treatment.
As a society, we also need to more broadly remove the stigmas and taboos surrounding the treatment of mental health and sexual health issues. Often, both (incorrectly) are taken as signs of “weakness” or “failure”. Neither of these are true, and this stigma is one of the things that often causes people to avoid seeking treatment and instead suffer in silence.
Presenter
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