Breaking the Stigma around STIs

Yes, I have watched It's a Sin.

Yes, I cried. Too much.

And yes, this particular post was sparked by that.

So here is the first proper post in the ‘Let’s Talk About Sex’ series (still working on the name), inspired by It’s A Sin, the amazing mini-series by Russell T Davies (the man that gave us back Doctor Who) I wanted to explore the stigma that still exists around STIs and figure out what we, my lovely friends, can do about it.

The extent of my ‘formal’ education regarding STIs was one science class in which we were asked to write a list of all the STIs we were aware of and then we spent the following 20 minutes being taught an even bigger scary list and then a vague list of symptoms for each. It's important to note that I have nothing against the teacher because he was nothing but awesome, however it was this broken learning structure that led to a lack of education and finding myself being surprised with I began my research.

Right let's just get in to this, as always I will pop any websites of interest at the end.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a certified expert and I am not medically trained, if you have any concerns I urge you to contact your doctor or relevant health professional.

THE BASICS (Always a good place to begin)

An STI, properly known as a Sexually Transmitted Infection, is an infection passed from one person to another most commonly through sexual contact, they come in all shapes and forms with some having extremely science-y complicated names, they vary in their symptoms and also how they need to be treated.

Sometimes you may hear them be referred to as STDs, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, although this is technically different to an STI, some still use the term interchangeably. Many organisations have different ways of defining the two, most focus on 'infection vs disease.' An infection and a disease are two different things but the easiest way to simplify it is, what came first? Chicken or egg? STI or STD? Well, typically an STI can sometimes lead to an STD such as how HIV can turn in to AIDS but this isn't the absolute rule. Another reason you may hear more people opt to use the term STI rather than STD is due to the negative connotation around the word 'disease'. (More on that later)

In the latest report by Public Health England covering the year 2019, there were 468,342 diagnoses of STI’s in England, with chlamydia making up 49% of them. We are still awaiting the report for 2020 being issued however, as you could have guessed, there is a general consensus that the figures may have gone down. (If you all adhered to lockdown rules)

I am not going to sit here and tell you each STI and their symptoms, especially when sometimes you can be a symptom-less carrier, but taking some time out to get lost in an internet rabbit hole is only a good thing in this case. Use reputable sites only though folks!

WHY IS THERE A STIGMA?

Stigma can enter our psychology in a number of different ways, some professionals think that the way in which we are taught about Sex in school can be a major factor, there is often an emphasis on safe sex and somewhat fear mongering around STIs, sometimes that fear mongering can also come from conversations with family and friends or other influential people in our lives such as religious figures. Sadly there are still schools out their in the world that teach abstinence-only sex education with an emphasis on what they see as the 'negative affects of sex' such a STI's and pregnancy.

Another sad fact is that for some, especially in the older generations (sorry, not all but some), there is a stigma that just came from the ‘common thinking’ of times gone by, a huge example of that comes from the HIV/AIDS Crisis which is what the It’s A Sin drama serial portrays beautifully, essentially STIs became wrapped up in the homophobia of the time and to be diagnosed with HIV would often be seen as declaration of homosexuality.

There is also the social stereotype that exists that STIs are a result of promiscuous behaviour, they are a result of bad decisions and only those of lower societal standing get them. (ALL WRONG OBVIOUSLY).

Stigma exists surrounding particular words, do you remember being in high school where the term 'genital warts' would be used an insult or banter, next thing you know, you get a diagnosis and you are to embarrassed to talk about it. Going back to the word disease, this word seems to be something that over time has taken on a life of its own outside of it's dictionary definition, through its use during plagues and as an insult there is general consensus that word relates to being unhygienic and dangerous, this unnecessarily adds to the stigma.

And finally, probably the biggest contributing problem to creating a stigma, in my opinion, is that there is such a lack of general knowledge surrounding the topic which leads me nicely on to...

WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT BREAKING THE STIGMA?

Education, Communication & Interpretation

As last week's post said, lately their has been a reformation in the Sex & Relationships education policy with what has ben taught in schools, we are yet to see the full affects of this but for those of you no longer in education your learning doesn't have to stop now. A big part of breaking the stigma is being knowledgeable, as I said before, I am not here to teach you every little thing but I will pop a lot of handy dandy links below.

Did you know... over in the USA as of 2018, it was thought that 1 in 5 people have an STI, so when sitting in a college lecture of a hundred students it is likely that 20 people will have an STI. STIs are more common than you may have initially believed.

Let's say it together folks...

Communicate Communicate Communicate!

Not only is they probably the most essential pillar to successful relationships but it is absolutely vital to this cause. As a 24 year old millennial, I know that I have plenty of friends who would rather not talk about 'taboo' subjects and are pretty much set in their ways. However, it only takes one conversation to lift the weight and essentially highlight that STIs are normal, they happen, we often don't shy away from talking about chicken pox (which is another strain of the herpes virus FYI) so why STIs?

Probably more importantly we need to generalise talking about this with our sexual partners, I know asking someone before jumping in to their sheets if they have been tested doesn't sound sexy right now but you wouldn't jump in a car with an unlicensed driver. Know your status and don't be afraid to share it, an STI diagnosis doesn't mean to end of someone's sex life, but consent only works when both parties are fully aware of what's going on.

Communication doesn't need to just be with your peers and sexual partners, we need to break down the stigma with family set in their ways and children! To quote the great lyrics from Whitney Houston - "Children are our future… teach them well and let them lead the way," ensuring children are taught in a stigma-free environment will mean they are brought up confident enough about having these conversations on the regular.

Finally, interpretation, being a little more selective in the language you use around the subject will help a bunch, we need to stop using language such as 'im clean' when you test negative, as it may infer people whom are positive as dirty.

I think it goes without saying, but if for whatever reason you are worried, or alternatively you haven’t been checked in a while… just get a test! There are even handy-dandy at home test’s you can do nowadays, worth checking them out and having a read, links below. Oh, and don't forget to watch It's A Sin available on 4 On Demands, have your tissues ready.

I promise next week's post will be a little more light hearted but for now,

Peace, Love & Adios

DISCLAIMER: I am not a certified expert and I am not medically trained. This particular series mainly serves to regurgitate the information I have learned, I will always make an effort to ensure that my sources are highly reliable and credible.

If this post has affected you in any way or you have any concerns, I urge you to contact a professional including but not limited to your GP.

I have no affiliation with the links below.

All those handy dandy links...

NHS Website - https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sexually-transmitted-infections-stis/

Lloyds Pharmacy - Sexual Health Advice - https://onlinedoctor.lloydspharmacy.com/uk/sexual-health-advice/difference-stis-stds

Public Health England 2019 STI & Chlamydia Screening Report - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/914184/STI_NCSP_report_2019.pdf

Women's health page on STIs - https://www.womenshealth.gov/a-z-topics/sexually-transmitted-infections

Terrence Higgins Trust - https://www.tht.org.uk

Who doesn’t love a good Ted Talk? STIs aren't a consequence. They're inevitable. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcIl-hclrLI