You Know What’s Depressing? Finding Out You Have an STD

When you think about “sexual health,” you may think “STDs”—as in, herpes, HIV, gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, and a host of other infections I won’t go into. One thing that probably doesn’t pop into your head is how having a sexually transmitted disease can affect someone mentally and emotionally. But for many, the impact beyond the physical effects of an infection—and of course sometimes there is no clear evidence that one’s infected at all—can be huge. However, since we rarely talk about the taboo subject of STDs, we often don’t talk about the mental impact of having one, either.

The two-way street of STDs and mental health is a classic chicken-and-egg situation: Are people with mental health issues like depression, ADHD, or schizophrenia more likely to contract an STD? Or is it that being diagnosed causes or worsens mental health issues that weren’t much of a problem before the infection? 

At the organization I run, The STD Project, we’ve found evidence of both being true: First, finding out that you have an STD does seem to bring on or exacerbate underlying mental health issues, including severe stress and depression, in some people. “It’s really tough to explain to someone who has never had an STD why the virus can be so mentally taxing,” a 32-year-old government employee living with molluscum contagiosum (MC) told me.

In fact, the consequences of a diagnosis are, generally, much harder to handle emotionally than physically. For many, they’re devastating. “Honestly, I have found it to be the most difficult part of the process,” he added. “I retreated to the confines of my bedroom; I didn’t come out for two weeks. When I finally got in [to the doctor], I told the doctor what was going on, we discussed and agreed that I was likely suffering from significant depression from all of [it]. I was prescribed an antidepressant.”

This man’s turmoil isn’t unique. In fact, for the thousands of diverse readers who come to The STD Project website every week—sharing an incredible variety of stories—their emotional struggle is nearly identical: A 35-year-old librarian with genital herpes recently wrote, “I don’t know how to put it into words, except maybe to say that the current fabric of my existence seems to be made almost entirely of [my diagnosis]. I cannot un-believe that I am more than my herpes at this point. It has changed the way I look at and think of just about everything. I entered the deepest depression I have ever experienced in the 6 months following my diagnosis.” 

"I entered the deepest depression I have ever experienced in the 6 months following my diagnosis," said one woman with herpes.

In some cases, struggling with a mental disorder can increase the risk of contracting an STD. A 2006 study in the journal Pediatrics looked at sexually active kids and teens in middle and high school and found that those who had symptoms of depression were more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors like sex without a condom, substance abuse, and multiple sexual partners, significantly increasing their risk of contracting an STD.

The research suggested that those same students were less likely to have family support, and were more likely be socially isolated and to seek, or be pressured into, sexual activities as a substitute for meaningful intimate relationships. Finally, the researchers found that the students dealing with depression were also likely to have less self-confidence, which hurt their ability to negotiate safer-sex practices and to resist peer pressure, alcohol, and other drugs.

But that’s not the whole story. The journal Sexually Transmitted Diseases reported on a study done in a Boston health clinic that found that although lesbian patients were more likely to suffer from mental health issues prior to seeking care, they were significantly less likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors. However, those who were diagnosed with an STD were more likely to experience severe emotional trauma and require additional mental health care. In contrast, research reported in 2009 in JAMA Pediatrics found that depression was directly related to an increased risk of STDs—but only among African-American men.

The truth is, the current data presents a varied picture, so I believe it’s important to simply remember that mental health problems intersect with sexual behavior and our overall health in complex ways. If we’re going to end the American epidemic of STDs, we definitely need more research to understand the link between mental health issues and increased risk of STDs, as well as the psychological impact of a diagnosis. Our experience at The STD Project has shown that those who are diagnosed experience intense trauma, emotional distress, and often seek mental health care. “For the first time ever, I felt absolutely no hope,” the librarian told me. “I believed—and still have to fight believing—that the people around me would be better off if I was out of their lives. My life went from ‘normal’ to a nightmare in my head.” “One of the hardest parts is suffering in silence,” said the young man with MC. “You have no idea how much of an impact it is on your life until you get [MC] and support is needed."

If we took these experiences into consideration when designing targeted sexual education, and consider those who are already suffering from mental illness and the extra help they may need, I believe we could reduce transmission rates—a crucial step in lowering the astronomic rates of STDs in the U.S. If nothing else, it’s safe to say that addressing the mental health-STD link could help millions from from having to feel so isolated.

If you’ve been diagnosed with an STD, or know someone who has, how did you, or they, feel about the diagnosis?

Related Stories on TakePart:

• In Our Hook-Up Culture, Why Can’t We Talk About STDs?

• STD Rates Are Rising—Should You Be Worried?

• How Abstinence-Only Sex Ed Is Driving Up STD Rates

Jenelle Marie is the founder of The STD Project, an award-winning website and progressive movement aimed at eradicating the stigma associated with contracting an STD and living with an STD by facilitating and encouraging awareness, education, and acceptance through storytelling and resource recommendations. You can also find The STD Project on Facebook and Twitter. Look for her e-Book, “The Relationship Survival Guide to Living with an STD” available in 2013. TakePart.com

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What's the Only Good Thing About Herpes?

Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York have found what could be the herpes virus' only redeeming feature — it shows promise as a treatment for an aggressive form of breast cancer, reports MyHealthNewsDaily. The researchers, who presented the study at the annual meeting of the American College of Surgeons this week, started by infecting triple-negative breast cancer cell lines with the NV1066 genetically engineered herpes virus, which killed up to 90 percent of the cancer cells within a week, the article says. Next, the researchers injected mice with the cancer cells. After treating the mice for 20 days with the herpes strain the animals' tumors also disappeared, the article adds. The response may be because triple-negative breast cancers have high levels of the p-MAPK protein, which the herpes virus specifically targets, the researchers say. But the results are still preliminary, and more work needs to be done to determine if the herpes virus will have the same effect in human cancer patients, and whether it would be safe as a treatment, MyHealthNewsDaily adds.

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What's the Best Herpes Treatment for You?

There are many herpes treatment options available. If you've already seen your physician about your condition, he or she may have already recommended a medication for you to take. But odds are, you probably wonder if there's something better out there. Today I'm going to share with you your options for herpes treatment.

Typically, when you're first diagnosed as having herpes your physician will suggest a particular herpes treatment product. However, the product your physician may suggest may entirely be based upon nothing more than a clever sales pitch by a pharmaceutical rep. Many health care industry watch dogs believe that doctors end up being nothing more than retail outlets for the pharmaceutical giants. There may indeed be some truth to this charge.

In terms of what kind of herpes treatment is best for you, it will depend on your particular situation. The first type of herpes treatment consists of pharmaceutical drugs; many of which are pills that you take on a daily basis or as a breakout begins.

If you have frequent herpes outbreaks and or you have a partner who doesn't have herpes, your physician may suggest what's called suppressive therapy. Suppressive therapy does what the name implies; it suppresses outbreaks of herpes so your partner doesn't contract this virus. Plus, with suppressive therapy, the number of outbreaks should decrease.

If you are pregnant, especially during the third trimester, your physician may recommend a particular type of drug for you to take so your baby doesn't contract the herpes virus.

Besides drugs for herpes treatment, there are other options. There are various alternative remedies designed to treat herpes. However, the pros and cons of these herpes treatment options are that these alternative remedies do not reduce the viral population like pharmaceutical drugs may do. Also, these alternative remedies primarily work to clear up breakouts rapidly. The bonus with alternative herpes treatments is that they tend to be free of common side effects associated with pharmaceutical herpes treatments.

Pharmaceutical herpes treatments tend to come with side effects such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and headaches.

Fortunately there is another herpes treatment option available. It's a product that was developed by scientists in Australia back in 1995. To date, this product has a good track record behind it as it works for approximately 95% of all people who use it. This product is called Dynamiclear and it is an odor-less, color-less topical solution that's applied to the site of a herpes outbreak. The only known side effect to this natural herpes treatment is that it may sting when applied.

But that momentary sting outweighs the benefits of this product, as it is known to dramatically reduce the frequency of herpes outbreaks. Plus, when this herpes treatment is applied to sores and lesions, they clear up within 1-3 days and rarely come back. Many users are reporting they haven't had an outbreak since using Dynamiclear herpes treatment.

Additionally, you can use Dynamiclear herpes treatment whether your frequency of outbreaks is often or if you're in your third trimester of pregnancy. There are no known drug contradictions as Dynamiclear herpes treatment is not taken orally but applied topically. You may want to find out if Dynamiclear herpes treatment is right for you.

Click Here to Learn More About Dynamiclear Herpes Treatment http://www.dynamiclear-herpes-treatment.com