Psychiatric disorders predispose to risky sexual behaviour

Psychiatric disorders and risky sexual behaviour have important public health implications. On p 263 Ramrakha et al report on the relation between the two in a birth cohort of 21 year olds based in New Zealand. They found that illnesses such as depressive and eating disorders, substance abuse, antisocial disorders, and manic episodes are associated with greater sexual risk taking and increased reports of sexually transmitted diseases and sexual intercourse at an early age. Sexual risk taking is also increased with psychiatric comorbidity. These results indicate the need to coordinate sexual medicine with mental health services.

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Psychiatric disorders and risky sexual behaviour in young adulthood: cross sectional study in birth cohort

Sandhya Ramrakha, Avshalom Caspi, Nigel Dickson, Terrie E Moffitt, and Charlotte Paul
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