Depression and std infections - Coursework Example

Depression and STD Infections Affiliation with more information about affiliation, research grants, conflict of interest and how to contact.Depression and STD InfectionsDepression is a state of that affects a person’s thoughts, moods and way of thinking. Depression is a psychological state which trouble’s many people. It is a fairly common psychological disorder and affects millions of people across the globe. It greatly disrupt day- to - day activity, abilities to work and sleep. “Depression may be described as feeling sad, blue, unhappy, miserable, or down in the dumps.

Most of us feel this way at one time or another for short periods” (Major Depression, 2012). Sexually transmitted diseases (STD) are infections that spread through person to person through sexual contacts. “Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are diseases passed on from one person to another through unprotected sex (sex without a condom) or sometimes through genital contact” (About Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), 1995). Recent research has found out that people depression is very common in people infected with sexually transmitted diseases.

The relationship with these two diseases needs to be thoroughly investigated as there is significant association between STD history and depression.  It is a fact that people who are diagnosed with STD undergoes a stressful events and it can lead to stress, mood swings and in many cases depression. At the same time, people who are depressed are also in a high risk level of contracting STD. With the alarming rate of people who contracted STD every year it is a very volatile situation as it mainly affects the youth.

“Approximately 19 million new sexually transmitted infections (STIs) occur in the United States (US) each year, 1 with nearly half occurring in youth aged 15 to 24 years” (2007 Sexually Transmitted Diseases Surveillance, 2007). In recent development, depression has been linked to sexually behaviors in adolescents. But sadly, very little research has been done to validate the relationship between STD and depression. Health care providers and doctors need to be aware of this situation to deliver a better care and speedy recovery for patients with depression or sexually transmitted diseases.

 The relationship between depression and STD is a new phenomenon and the link between them is still not very certain. In a research conducted by Canadian researchers reveal that people with STD are vulnerable to depressions, “depression is common in people with sexually transmitted infections, Canadian researchers report in the December edition of Sexually Transmitted Infections. The researchers suggest that programmes should be designed to tackle depression in patients with sexually transmitted infections” (Carter, 2008, para. 1). Through the research conducted it has been revealed that in men “sexually transmitted infections increased the overall risk of depression by 50%” (Carter, 2008, para. 6) and in female it increased the risk of depression by 80%.

This is an alarming findings and it is inevitable to determine the association between depression and STD infections need to be addressed. The association between these two diseases needs to be researched widely as it could have a crucial pubic importance. It cannot be denied that there is a significant association of depressions with STDs and it is important to deal with this issue as it affects millions of people across the globe.Reference ListAbout Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), 1995).

The Nemours Foundation. Retrieved from http://kidshealth.org/teen/sexual_health/stds/std.htmlCarter, M. (2008). Association between Depression and Sexually Transmitted Infections. Aidsmap. Retrieved from http://aidsmap.com/Association-between-depression-and-sexually-transmitted-infections/page/1432801/Major Depression, (2012). Medline Plus. Retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000945.htm2007 Sexually Transmitted Diseases Surveillance, (2007). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/std/stats07/trends.htm