Let's talk about Sexual Health, what it is, what it isn’t and an insight into what is to come.
So what is it? According to the World Health Organisation, sexual health is “…a state of physical, emotional, mental and social well-being in relation to sexuality; it is not merely the absence of disease, dysfunction or infirmity. Sexual health requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as well as the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination and violence. For sexual health to be attained and maintained, the sexual rights of all persons must be respected, protected and fulfilled.” (Definition of sexual health, World Health Organisation (WHO), 2006a)
Breaking this down, the World Health Org looks at both the healthy and unhealthy aspects of sexual health, defining what is healthy as+ down to the individual and their state of being. A true definition of what health is, in general, is a great debate and if you want to find out more, I would recommend checking out Crash Course Sociology’s definitions of health and medicine (Crash Course, https://youtu.be/8NGlENS1qgo )
Taking physical, emotional, mental and social factors into consideration makes for a holistic overview where someone may be considered healthy in some aspects and unhealthy in others. Let’s look at these factors and give some examples.
Physical sexual health follows the medical model of health, is there an illness or an infirmary that causes there to be an issue with a person’s sexual activity or reproductive system. This can include but is not limited to issues such as Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), infertility, and orgasm dysfunctions. These often have medical treatments to support someone becoming healthy, whatever your version of healthy may be.
Emotional sexual health looks to ensure emotional needs are met, Maslow created the hierarchy of needs which looked at emotional needs as one of the higher needs of humans. To feel loved, and cared for, a sense of belonging, privacy, intimacy and self-esteem, contribute to emotional health and well-being. (Hierarchy of Needs, Maslow, 1943)
Mental sexual health can be affected by pre-existing conditions such as anxiety, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) etc, affecting a person's libido, stress levels and pleasure abilities. With trauma and bad experiences, a person can develop poor mental sexual health and an unhealthy view of future sexual experiences such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). A person can also develop a poor sense of self if they experience distress with their sexuality, gender identity, sexual fetishes or kinks, leading to poor mental health conditions such as depression, eating disorders and substance abuse. That being said, a person can still be considered mentally healthy even with these conditions, provided they feel no distress in sexual experiences.
Social sexual health relates to all social factors that might affect a person's sexual experiences, sexuality and gender. Cultural and religious influences can determine an individual's sexual health physically, mentally and emotionally examples include ritual circumcision, abstinence training and pleasure shame, in turn, cultures can offer positive sexual health benefits such as good sex education leads to improved sexual health behaviours and a positive attitude towards sex, gender, sexuality and kink. Other social factors include race, gender, sexuality, disability, political stance and social class, these can offer positive and negative influences on an individual's sexual health.
A lot of these topics we will cover in more detail throughout the series are all about Sex. The main categories we are going to cover on the channel are Sex, Sexuality, Gender, BDSM and some societal and political topics to cover current events. So keep an eye out for updates on socials and I will see you next time.
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