by Tavia Kiwanuka-Quinlan, Head Writer Sexual health is often an afterthought for many, or is thought of to be cold, clinical, and impersonal. Many associate sexual health to be exclusively STI tests, condoms and birth control, which is a very common misconception! While these are aspects of sexual health (specifically referred to as sexual healthcare), sexual health is so much more than that. Okay! - So what is it? The World Health Organization defines sexual health as, “…a state of physical, emotional, mental and social well-being in relation to sexuality…” (WHO, 2006). Sexual health encapsulates so many aspects of how we, as humans, have sex (WHO, 2006)! Not simply the mechanics, but the overall wellbeing that is so crucial for a healthy sex life and expression of sexuality. And what does this have to do with mental health? As The World Health Organization's (2006) definition of sexual health dictates, sexual health is group effort! Emotional and mental health and wellbeing are such key components of sexual health, they work in tandem with each other. In a study by Hensel et al. (2016), it was found that symptoms of mental illness had an impact on participant’s sexual health. Participants noted that they had higher rates of sexual health when they had lower rates of depression and higher rates of self-esteem (Hensel et al., 2016). Symptoms of different mental illnesses can have different effects on our sexual health, though the overall consensus is that sexual health and mental health are connected in this way. On the other hand, sexual health has the ability to affect our mental health, too! As stated in Hensel et al.'s (2016) study, “positive sexually related experiences may complement mental and emotional health”. Healthy intimate relationships are a large component of sexual health. Our sexual health relates to heavily with those we are having sex with, and not just on a mechanical level, but on mental and emotional level, whether there is an identifiable relationship or not. So what? Sexual and mental health are inherently interconnected with each other. As humans do, our sexual relationships, both with others and ourselves, ebb and flow and have impacts on ourselves, as well as the relationships we experience. These changes within our sex lives are nothing to be ashamed of! Tavia is an undergraduate student at the University of Guelph, and a Head Writer on GetPsyched! Are you interested in submitting a post to GetPsyched? Make sure you fill out our submission form and send it back to us so we can showcase your ideas! Edited by Paraj Mongia Na. References
Hensel, Nance, J., & Fortenberry, J. D. (2016). The Association Between Sexual Health and Physical, Mental, and Social Health in Adolescent Women. Journal of Adolescent Health, 59(4), 416–421. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2016.06.003 World Health Organization. (2006). Defining sexual health. Report of a technical consultation on sexual health. Geneva: WHO. http://www.who.int.subzero.lib.uoguelph.ca/reproductivehealth/topics/gender_rights/defining_sexual_health.pdf.
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