Adolescent mental health and risky sexual behaviour

doi:10.1136/bmj.321.7256.251

BMJ 2000;321:251-252 ( 29 July )

Editorials

Adolescent mental health and risky sexual behaviour

Young people need health care that covers psychological, sexual, and social areas

Papers p 263

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Risk taking among adolescents is of great concern to health professionals. Most of the morbidity among young people is relatedto behaviours that result in unintentional or intentional injuries,drug and alcohol misuse, tobacco use, sexual behaviour, diet,and physical inactivity.¹ Mental health problems in young peopleare common, with an overall prevalence of around 15%.²

Against this background, the observation in the paper by Ramrakha and colleagues (p 263) of the strong correlation betweenpsychiatric disorders, substance misuse, and risky sexual behaviourin a birth cohort of 21 year olds is important.³ This findinghas been observed previously,⁴ although in another study Bardonefound risky sexual behaviour associated only with conduct disorders,and not with depression or anxiety, in a cohort of girls followedfrom ages 15 to 21.⁵ Many studies have reported associationsbetween mental health and the risk of HIV infection.⁶

Ramrakha et al's work is part of . . . [Full text of this article]

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