25 Mar Link Between Mental Health and Sexuality: What You Must Know
Although we are in the modern era, still many people find it taboo to talk about the link between mental health and sexuality.
Now, if you want to know whether there is any relation between mental health and sexuality but cannot ask your family or nearer ones because of their thinking.
Then don’t worry! We are here to tell you the link between mental health and sexuality and will try to solve all your doubts regarding it.
Moreover, understanding this topic can help us in making a good connection, starts crucial conversations, and when it makes sense, seek the support we need and deserve.
So, in today’s article, we will talk about the link between mental health and sexuality. Thus, be with us till the last of the articles to clear all the confusion that might come to your mind about this topic.
But before that let’s talk about sexuality like what is it and its types.
Let us dive right into our article.
What Is Sexuality?
If you are one of those who think that sexuality means having sex. Then you are wrong.
Sexuality is way more than having sex. It’s the way you describe sexual, emotional, and physical feelings and attraction toward others.
Moreover, it doesn’t matter to whom you are feeling above mentioned feelings. They might be of the same gender or different gender, or you might not experience sexual anything at all.
The Best Sexologist Doctor in Patna states that people may identify their sexuality in the following ways:
- Asexual- someone who experiences romantic attraction to another gender.
- Aromantic- someone who experiences littles to no romantic attraction to any gender.
- Bisexual- someone who is romantically attracted to more than one gender.
- Gay- someone who experiences romantic attraction towards people of the same gender.
- Heterosexual/straight- someone who is romantically attracted to people of a different gender.
- Lesbian- someone who identifies as female and is mostly romantically attracted to others who also identify themselves as female.
- Pansexual- someone who is attracted to people of all genders.
- Demisexual- someone who experiences little or no sexual attraction until romantic feelings develop.
Now you know about these terms and if you think that you might be sexually attracted to another gender then it is normal. You don’t need to panic about it.
Link Between Mental Health and Sexuality (Reproductive Health)
If you think that you are not Heterosexual then it is perfectly normal. It doesn’t mean that you have any sort of mental problem.
Then this question might arise in your mind if not this, then how mental health is related to sexuality?
Let us tell you how your intimate relationship is linked to your mental health.
As you know, it is still taboo in our society to have other preferences instead of heterosexual sexuality and this can impact the mental health of those who prefer other options.
These people are bullied by society, even to that their own families bully them, and disown them and this led to cause an ill effect on their mental health.
And also if you prefer other sexuality and because these things happen in society, you feel afraid to talk about it and keep it to yourself as you think they might also bully you or disown you. Then this pressure can cause mental illness.
Similarly, these people like lesbians, bisexuals, gays, and queers experience discrimination which results in being excluded from social space, a higher likelihood of unemployment, and avoidance of health care, and this all leads to poor mental health.
More to this, people of the LGBTQI2S+ community often ignore their physical health because of society and this concerns their mental health causing them depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive and phobic disorder, suicidal thoughts and acts, self-harm, alcohol, and drug dependence.
And you know what, all these impacts become worse if these communities face discrimination because of their ethnicity, class, race, or disability.
This is how gender and mental health are related to each other. Hope you get it.
Now we think you all understand the link between mental health and sexuality. So, let’s proceed to the other section of this article, where we will talk about what you might experience if you belong to another community.
What One’s Experience Initially When They Belong to Other Community?
According to the best psychiatrist in Patna, you might experience the following:
- Not feeling safe showing your affection to your partner
- Feeling alone as you might not find someone like you who shares similar feelings and experiences
- Bullying or being treated differently by not only others but also your family members
- Not being supported or accepted by your nearer or dearer ones
- People misleading your sexuality
- Prejudice about your sexuality
After going through above mentioned negative experience, eventually, you may feel like the following:
- Need to hide your sexuality
- Scared about society like what will say or how they will react
- Need to change sex and become someone you are not
- Lonely and isolated
- Self-conscious around others
- Confused about sexuality
- Difficult to meet new people
Now many ones you might feel like you have these experiences only one time, but let us make it clear that it doesn’t matter the experience you feel is for one time or regular basis, it will affect your mental health and your thinking about yourself.
How to Deal with the Sexuality Issue?
You can follow the given steps to deal with your sexuality:
- Talk with someone who you trust about your feeling and experience
- If you don’t have anyone with whom you can talk then write it down as it can help you to cope with this
- Find your own safe space where you can enjoy yourself without any worry
- Create boundaries and prioritize your mental health
- Find a role model
- Clean your social media, mute, unfollow, or block the accounts which can put you down
Now the question comes that when you are in a relationship what can you do to fix your mental health while being in it?
How to Fix Mental Health While in a Relationship?
Following are some tips that you can follow to maintain your relationship, despite your or their mental illness:
- Meet with a mental health professional to find out what can you do for your partner
- Don’t let diagnosis ruin your beautiful relationship
- Take care of each other and considered each other feelings
- Always try to have positive communication with each other
- Regularly admire your partner
- Create a self-care routine and help your spouse to manage their mental illness
- Make sure you both are getting enough sleep, doing your hobbies, eating well, exercising, and spending time with your loved ones
- Keep in mind your partner is not responsible for all your needs, they are only there to support and love you
- Often go to couples counseling
- Learn and grow from challenges together.
Hence, this is everything you need to know about the link between mental health and sexuality.
Conclusion
For leading a peaceful life it is very important to accept your sexuality and work on your mental health together.
If you are from lesbian, gay, queer, or any other community then it is a high chance that your mental health can be affected because of this.
No one but only you can stand up for yourself and treat your mental health because society only knows about bully, discrimination, and violence.
Lastly, being the best Neuro Physician in Patna, he always advises not to ignore the link between mental health and sexuality.
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