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Risky Sexual Behaviour Linked to Psychiatric Disorders in Young Adults

Common psychiatric disorders, such as depression and substance dependence, are associated with risky sexual behaviour in young people, according to a study in this week's British Medical Journal.

Researchers in New Zealand examined the links between a range of psychiatric problems and aspects of sexual behaviour in over 900 men and women, all 21 years of age. The authors found that young people with depression, substance dependence, symptoms of schizophrenia or antisocial disorders were more likely to engage in risky sexual intercourse, contract sexually transmitted diseases and have sexual intercourse before 16 years of age, than those with no psychiatric disorder. The likelihood of risky behaviour was also increased in young people with more than one psychiatric disorder. These results are similar to those found among young adults in both the United Kingdom and the United States.

The fact that depression was linked to these three outcomes is of particular concern, say the authors, as rates of depression are known to escalate from age 15 to 21 years -- the period when sexual activity likewise emerges. Ultimately, the damaging consequences of such behaviour to health -- such as unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases -- can only add to the difficulties already faced by young people with a psychiatric disorder in society, say the authors. Coordination of sexual medicine with mental health services is urgently needed in the treatment of young people, they conclude.

In an accompanying editorial, David Bennett of the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children in Sydney and Adrian Bauman of the Liverpool Hospital in Sydney report similar findings and suggest that "the coexistence of drugs, risky sex and mental health problems remains a consistent observation." For clinicians, they say, "the challenge is to address the health issues of young people in a sensitive and comprehensive manner but, most importantly, they reiterate the need for coordinated health care for adolescents and young people."

(Paper: Psychiatric disorders and risky sexual behaviour in young adulthood: Cross sectional study in birth cohort). British Medical Journal, Volume 321, pp. 263-266.

(Editorial: Adolescent mental health and risky sexual behaviour). British Medical Journal, Volume 321, pp. 251-252.

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