MELBOURNE, Australia — A new study by a psychologist at Monash University indicates sexual activity may not cure depression, but it’s one of the comforting behaviors women seek when they’re feeling blue.“When people are depressed they feel more insecure about relationships and concerned that their partner may not care about them,” said Dr. Sabura Allen. “Sex helps them feel that closeness and security.”
According to the study, women suffering from mild to moderate depression engage in one-third more of “everything from kissing to petting, foreplay, and intercourse” whether or not they are in a relationship.
Across the board, mildly to moderately depressed women are more sexually liberated than their counterparts, Allen’s research indicated, with single depressed women being the most liberated of all: They are the most likely to engage in casual sex with happier partners.
Could sex be a cure for depression?
“We really don’t know, but we presume it helps as it gives these women opportunities to be close to their partner and loved,” Allen said.
Other psychologists expressed interest in the report and support for Allen’s research.
Dr. Xavier Amador, a clinical psychologist and professor at Columbia University, told The New York Post the study’s results “make a lot of sense. My guess is, had she studied men with mild to moderate depression, she would have found the same thing,” he said.
However, the same probably isn’t true for people suffering from severe depression, as one of the common symptoms of that disease is loss of libido.
“Women who are mildly depressed will turn to sex for comfort,” Amador told The Post. “In the short term, sex is one of the best antidepressants out there.”
Allen’s findings, based on a sample of 107 Australian women, were presented during an international medical conference on March 19th. They will be published in a British medical journal.
