The Effect of Mental Health Disorders on Reproductive and Sexual Health

Background: Certain mental health conditions are known to make people incapable of making rational decisions thus exposing them to risky sexual behaviours that may result in sexually transmitted infections. Objective: This study evaluated the impact of psychotic and non-psychotic mental health disorders on reproductive and sexual health of patients accessing care at the Neuropsychiatry department of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) as reflected in the sexually transmitted infections seen among this population. Methods: Ethics approval for this study was applied for and obtained from the UPTH Research Ethics Committee. A 5ml aliquot of veinous blood was aseptically collected from all participants who had given their voluntary informed consent to be enrolled into the study. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants and labelled along with the samples in a manner that ensured strict confidentiality. The samples were analysed for hepatitis B (HBV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and syphilis using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunochromogenic methods according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Results: The observed prevalence for the STIs in this study were 3.5%, 36.23% and 2.03% for HBV, HIV, and syphilis respectively. The high prevalence of HIV was of particular concern particularly because some participants without mental health conditions also tested positive for HIV, and the HBV was also significant. Conclusion: In view of the prevalence and variety of STIs observed in this study, mandatory screening for patients with mental health disorders accessing care and health workers at the hospital is recommended. The hospital management should also institute policies and measures that will enhance infection prevention and control in the hospital.