What Did The Research Involve
The researchers recruited a multi-ethnic sample of 3,907 single, heterosexual college students aged 18 to 35, from 30 universities across the US. Students took part in the study via the internet. For taking part, the students were awarded a partial or full “course credit” from their university.
In the study, the students were asked to recall how often within the previous 30 days they had had sex with someone they had known for less then a week. Their answers were reported on a five-point Likert scale as follows:
- never
- six to 10 times
- eleven or more times
Because only 11% of participants reported any casual sex in the month before, researchers decided to combine the results to analyse the results as yes or no answers, rather than trying to quantify the effects of the amount of casual sex the students had.
Participants also answered validated questionnaires about four aspects of psychological wellbeing. The aspects of wellbeing assessed were:
- self-esteem
- life satisfaction
- psychological wellbeing
- eudaimonic wellbeing
They also completed questionnaires on three forms of psychological distress:
The researchers created a statistical model from the results.
My Doctor Prescribed Me Orgasms To Treat My Depression
Originally Published by:
Penny Sullivan* had been struggling with her mental health for decades when she was finally diagnosed with Bipolar 2 Disorder.
After years of anxiety, anger and depression, the diagnosis was a big relief. She had felt like her life was spiraling out of control and now she had an answer.
“Manic depression has always been part of my make-up, I’ve battled with it since I can remember,” the mother-of-three tells whimn.com.au.
“Over the years I can now see that it manifested in different ways, like pulling my hair out as a kid, anorexia and bulimia throughout high school and my twenties and general anxiety in everyday life.”
Now, finally, it seemed like help was here — and it ended up coming from a very surprising source.
Sullivan’s doctor prescribed medication, suggested she give up alcohol and take up exercise — so far, so standard.
But he also prescribed sex and as much of it as she could handle. As someone with a naturally high sex drive, that was a lot.
So she followed the doctor’s orders and was shocked to discover that regular sex with her husband did, in fact, help stabilize her mood condition.
“We don’t always have to have intercourse either, simply touching, cuddling or just fooling around and being connected can be just as great to get those feel goods,” she says.
“Sex was never great with my ex-husband and he never enjoyed it either,” she says. “He didn’t enjoy foreplay and he ejaculated early so I didn’t really get to enjoy sex.”
How Did The Researchers Interpret The Results
The researchers say that although their study is only preliminary, the data is consistent with the possibility that semen may “antagonise” depressive symptoms. They also point out that the finding that women having sex without condoms scored lower on depression than those abstaining from sex shows that it is not sexual activity in itself that is associated with an antidepressant effect.
They say there is other evidence which shows that the vagina absorbs a number of components of semen into the bloodstream, some of which may have antidepressant properties. The researchers also suggest that it would be “interesting” to investigate the possible antidepressant effects of oral or anal ingestion of semen among both heterosexual couples and homosexual men.
When Should I Call The Doctor About Depression
Contact a healthcare provider right away if you experience severe depression or thoughts of suicide. You can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800.273.8255. This hotline connects you to a national network of local crisis centers for free and confidential emotional support. The centers support people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In an emergency, call 911.
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Your physical and mental health go hand in hand. Depression can not only affect your sex life, but also your ability to be intimate and open in relationships. If you’re experiencing depression, try to keep the lines of communication open. Talk with your sexual partner, friends and family members. A strong support system is an important part of any mental health treatment plan.
Foods That May Exacerbate Depression
If you’re coping with depression, it can be just as important to know what not to eat. Unfortunately, many of these foods are the ones people often turn to when they’re having a rough day. Of course, most things in moderation won’t harm you, but being aware of the negative impacts certain foods can have on your mental health can help you make better food choices.
How To Maintain Your Sex Drive Even If You Have Depression
Even if you’ve been diagnosed with major depressive disorder, it’s possible to maintain a healthy sex life. Payne offers several tips:
Sometimes the most important thing you can do is remember that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
“Depression affects every aspect of a person’s life, including sex,” says Payne. “But once a doctor figures out the right medication, most people get completely better.”
#TomorrowsDiscoveries: A Different Approach to Treating Psychiatric Disorders | Atsushi Kamiya, M.D.
Helps To Fight Some Signs Of Aging
While oral sex will not help to fight wrinkles or other signs of aging, it can help to improve a couple’s health and cause them to feel younger. Many women are realizing that part of looking younger is feeling happy and healthy. Depression does not only affect a woman’s mood, it can affect her entire life.
Engaging in oral sex can not only bring sexual satisfaction in women, it can also help women to look and feel younger and happier.
Oral sex may not be the miracle cure for depression, but early research is starting to show that it can be beneficial. Not only does male semen contain many chemicals that are beneficial to both men and women, this simple act of intimacy can bring a feeling of closeness that some couples might have been missing.
While this survey is not claiming that oral sex will cure all signs of depression in women, it is being to show that semen and oral sex can help. Before trying to treat any signs of depression, it is always advisable to speak with a health care provider first.
Foods To Help Fight Depression
Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital.
One of the most overlooked aspects of mental health is nutrition. Food plays a significant role in our physical health, as well as our mental and emotional health. When you are struggling with , it can feel a bit overwhelming to think about eating the right foods. However, some of these small changes in your diet may help to decrease your symptoms and have a positive effect on your daily life.
Sex Enhances Intimacy With Your Partner
Sometimes, for whatever reason, couples just don’t have regular sex.
This can be the beginning of a vicious cycle: you or your partner don’t feel like having sex, and then eventually you may start to resent your partner for not having sex, and you gradually grow further and further apart, eventually not even wanting to have sex with your partner.
As obvious as it might sound, regular sex with your partner makes a big difference to how you get along with them.
Being intimate with your partner on a frequent basis allows you to emotionally connect with them on a much deeper level.
Depression Can Lower Your Sex Drive But It Doesn’t Have To Weaken Your Partnership
“My fiancee and I both suffer from depression and decreased libido when we’re anxious/depressed, which is basically always. We have sex about once a month, sometimes less. I like sex, and my fiancee is the best partner I’ve ever had. But when you’re feeling lonely and hopeless, it’s hard to initiate sex. And when your partner is feeling the same, it’s hard for them to take the initiative. When you’re depressed, your head is lying to you. It’s telling you you’re unf*ckable, unworthy of love, only truly seen by others in their moments of disgust. It has all kinds of other physical ramifications that make sex harder, too. I lose energy in a major way when I’m depressed; my days go upside down, and I spend the night having panic attacks and spend the day in bed. I also have a manic streak that means I fill my life with work or get trapped in trying to be ‘the best’ at sex — trying to ‘master it’ like I’m in competition against my fiancee’s sadness. I haven’t fixed it yet , but looking sexy and hoping for the best, confronting my partner and demanding he find me sexy, or scheduling sex doesn’t work. But being very honest about what we want sexually and really working to overcome each others sexual ennui has helped, as has cutting down on drinking.
What Kind Of Research Was This
This was a cross-sectional study that looked at the association between casual sex and psychological health. Cross-sectional studies provide a snapshot of participants at a particular point in time. Because they look at all data at the same time, they cannot demonstrate cause and effect, which means they can’t show if one thing leads to another. However, cross-sectional studies can be useful for showing up patterns or possible associations in the data, which may justify further study.
The researchers point out that many young adults frequently have casual sex. Prevalence rates are estimated to range from 14% of young adults to 64%. They also say that casual sex can be defined in many ways including non-committed sexual relationships between friends and sexual encounters with strangers . In this study they define casual sex as having intercourse with a partner who has been known for less than a week.
They also say that in studies looking at mental health and casual sex the results have so far been mixed. Some but not all research suggests an association between sex with a stranger and low self-esteem.
Other research has suggested there may be gender differences in attitudes to casual sexual behaviour, and that women are more likely to report feelings of regret and guilt after casual sex.
Can Sex Help With Depression
Trying to manage depression can be a beast. There are so many medications out there with serious side effects.
But are there natural ways to fight depression? The answer is yes! Exercise, good nutrition and staying connected with friends can be a serious boon to help combat depression.
Another way to fight depression is through sex.
Are You Suffering From Anxiety
Take our 2-minute anxiety quiz to see if you may benefit from further diagnosis and treatment.
Study authors speculate that the decline in sexual activity may be linked to rising rates of anxiety and depression. But there’s something else that may be competing for our attention—our screens.
What’s clear is that sexual health and mental illness can affect and even perpetuate each other. What’s less clear is how or why.
Let’s take a deeper look into how eight of the most common mental disorders can impact your sex life—and how to take control.
Sex And Depression The Pros And The Cons
Despite being so common, depression is still talked about in hushed tones. Countless people suffer from depression and a lack of knowledge about depression can lead them to suffer needlessly. Unfortunately, most people can’s talk about their feelings.
It is about time we start talking about different aspects of mental health. Anxiety, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and other mental illnesses should be a topic of discussion.
In this article, I am going to discuss one of the most common questions I am asked, “Is Sex good for depression and can having sex can help?”
Is Sex Good For Depression
Is Sex Good For Depression?Is sex good or bad for depression? There are several well-known studies that answer this question. These studies come as a great relief to those who have been suffering from depression for years. After all, no one is really sure whether sex is good or bad for the mental health of a person, what does affect is the individual’s attitude towards sex. While the actual study results may not provide any definitive answer as to whether or not sex is good or bad for depression, the results of the studies definitely paint a positive picture of sex is good for your mental well-being.
Is Sex Good For Depression
As it turns out, sex is very good for people with anxiety disorders. What makes this so? It is found out that depression is very common among the people who have low self esteem, so they become very anxious about having sex, which in turn causes them to have serious anxiety about going through sexual activity. When the man comes into contact with someone else, his anxiety increases and the same goes with the woman.
Therefore, it is found out that when a person with depression goes through sexual activities with another person, he tends to reduce his depressive symptoms. This is because his level of anxiety is reduced, so his emotional state is also better. But the problem with sexual activities is that you need to be sure that your depression is treated before you indulge in any sexual activities.
Is Sex Good For Depression
Hoping For A Relationship After A One
A Canadian study found that high-quality sex rarely led to regret after “hook-ups”.
Casual sex, hook-ups or one-night stands: whatever you call it, more than half of us will have sex with someone we barely know or don’t expect to date in the future.
We’re most likely to do this at university, where up to 80 per cent of undergraduates have hook-ups . Sex within relationships is said to improve cardiovascular health, reduce depression and boost immunity, but social science research has often linked casual encounters to feelings of sexual regret, low self-esteem and psychological distress, especially among women.
Studies show that while men regret the sexual opportunities they missed, women often regret some of the casual sex they did have.
A Canadian study of 138 female and 62 male students who had casual sex found that men selected physical reasons for regret – such as their partner being insufficiently attractive.
Women’s regrets focused on shame and self-blame. But the evidence as to whether casual sex, when done with protection against sexually transmitted diseases, is actually bad for anyone is unclear.
The studies are overwhelmingly on heterosexual American university students and have varying definitions of hook-ups – from knowing someone for less than 24 hours, to sex in a “friends with benefits” relationship.
Some show both men and women feel depressed, used and lonely after hook-ups; others find casual sex promotes more positive emotions than negative ones.
Does Lack Of Sex Cause Depression Is Sex Good For Depression
Is Sex Good For Depression? Does lack of sex cause depression? That is a question that has been bothering people who think about it for quite some time now. It is quite a popular topic among people who want to have a healthy sex life as well as those who would like to get their partner to have one. However, they might not know why sex causes depression in some people and not in others.
You may be curious as to how sex affects the body and why some people seem to have a better sex drive than others. If you are going through a rough patch with your sex life, it is just normal to be depressed. This is because our lives become so busy and stressful that we may tend to neglect certain things that really matter. We may not spend enough time with the family that we may have wanted to, or we may not get enough sleep to fully recuperate from our stresses.
Lack of sex drive can also lead to feelings of loneliness. People who are married or have partners are more likely to seek help for their depression. Lack of sexual activity may also cause a person to feel unattractive and undesirable. Women who are physically attractive often find it easy to attract a new partner. Men, however, find it harder to attract a new partner. Lack of sexual activity may also prevent men from expressing their emotions and developing true intimacy.
How To Know If Youre Depressed
If you identify with several of the following, you may be suffering from depression.
If you’re feeling suicidal…
Problems don’t seem temporary—they seem overwhelming and permanent. But if you reach out for help, you will feel better.
Read HelpGuide’s Suicide Prevention articles or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the U.S. at 1-800-273-8255. For help outside the U.S., visit Befrienders Worldwide.
The Dilemma What Comes First The Chicken Or The Egg
If you are depressed, it is very difficult to have or enjoy sex because everything seems so dark and dismal. On the flip side, even though sex can help lift or at least temporarily lift the depression, it is sometimes impossible to get to the place of wanting to or even being able to have sex. What to do?
Experts say that the priority should be treating depression and its effects on sexual health can be dealt with later. Some patients are hesitant to take antidepressants and anti-anxiety medicines as they can interfere with their performance and sex drive, which in turn can affect their relationships. The ramifications go on and on.
Negative Unrealistic Ways Of Thinking That Fuel Male Depression
All-or-nothing thinking. Looking at things in black-or-white categories, with no middle ground
Overgeneralization. Generalizing from a single negative experience, expecting it to hold true forever
The mental filter. Ignoring positive events and focusing on the negative. Noticing the one thing that went wrong, rather than all the things that went right.
Diminishing the positive. Coming up with reasons why positive events don’t count
Jumping to conclusions. Making negative interpretations without actual evidence. You act like a mind reader or a fortune teller
Emotional reasoning. Believing that the way you feel reflects reality
‘Shoulds’ and ‘should-nots.’Holding yourself to a strict list of what you should and shouldn’t do, and beating yourself up if you don’t live up to your rules.
Labeling. Classifying yourself based on mistakes and perceived shortcomings
Sexual Health And Depression
Chronic depression is very difficult to manage and is beyond the scope of this article. Some medicines that are used to treat depression such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and tricyclic antidepressants can also lower sex drive. Especially for men, when the ability to perform or get excited is present, further negative feelings are produced thus compounding the underlying depression.
Major depression is characterized by a duration of 2 weeks of being in a depressed mood across most situations. This is a more serious form of depression and also called as clinical depression or major depressive disorder. The less severe form is what we mentioned before, chronic depression, which has lesser symptoms of depression.
Tip 3: Exercise For Greater Mental And Physical Health
When you’re depressed, just getting out of bed can seem like a daunting task, let alone working out. But exercise is a powerful depression fighter—and one of the most important tools in your recovery arsenal. Research shows that regular exercise can be as effective as medication for relieving depression symptoms. It also helps prevent relapse once you’re well.
To get the most benefit, aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. This doesn’t have to be all at once-and it’s okay to start small. A 10-minute walk can improve your mood for two hours.
Getting Help For Male Depression
Don’t try to tough out depression on your own. It takes courage to seek help—from a loved one or a professional. Most men with depression respond well to self-help steps such as reaching out for social support, exercising, switching to a healthy diet, and making other lifestyle changes.
But don’t expect your mood to improve instantly. You’ll likely begin to feel a little better each day. Many men recovering from depression notice improvements in sleep patterns and appetite before improvements in their mood. But these self-help steps can have a powerful effect on how you think and feel, helping you to overcome the symptoms of depression and regain your enjoyment of life.
What Is The Connection Between Sexual Problems And Depression
Think of the as a highly sensitive sex organ. Sexual desire starts in the and works its way down. That’s because of special chemicals known as neurotransmitters. These chemicals increase communication between brain cells and trigger more flow to the organs. The problem is, with and other mood disorders, the brain circuits that communicate using these chemicals don’t function properly.
Many men and women with tell of having low or no sexual desire. And that puts a tremendous strain on intimate relationships.
Is It Better To Treat The Mental Illness Before Focusing On The Sexual Dysfunction Or Should The Two Be Treated In Tandem
“In tandem,” says Kort. “The old thinking is that if you can just handle and resolve the mental illness, the sexuality aspect will come back into order, and we now know that’s mostly not true.”
Brito adds that “it’s important to treat the symptoms in an integrative way. Provide sex-positive education, including making individuals aware of the emotional and psychological benefits of taking care of their sexual health. If someone is struggling with experiencing positive sexual relations, having a sex-positive therapist could assist with uncovering any blocks.”
Do Antidepressants Cause Sexual Side Effects
Antidepressants, or depression medicines, are highly effective in easing depression. But many of these drugs come with sexual side effects.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are an example. SSRIs work by boosting levels of the brain chemical serotonin. Increased serotonin can help improve mood. But it can also prevent normal communication between the brain and sex organs. SSRIs may make it difficult for a man to get an erection or ejaculate. These drugs can also prevent a woman from having an orgasm.
Other antidepressants focus on different chemicals in the brain. Drugs that increase dopamine or norepinephrine are less likely to have sexual side effects.
What Should You Do If Youre Feeling Depressed
First, know that whatever you feel, you shouldn’t feel like you have to pretend to be happy for your partner or hide how you really feel. It’s okay to let yourself experience the sadness.
“Sometimes the pressure of trying to eliminate sadness makes it even harder for a person to feel OK,” says Sher.
Next, check in with yourself and make sure you feel safe, physically and mentally.
If you feel comfortable, try talking to your partner about how you feel. If you know, tell them what’s bothering you. Sometimes, just giving voice to how you feel will make you feel a little bit better.
If you’d rather be alone, that’s okay too.
Here are some good questions to ask yourself:
- Was there something specific that my partner did to trigger my feelings of depression?
- What is it that I feel depressed about?
- Did I relive an abusive or traumatic event?
- Does this happen a lot?
“If this happens on occasion, don’t worry about it, but do think about what might be going on or being brought up for you emotionally. It can be helpful for you,” says Saltz.