StandWeSpeak

[standwespeak]

Calling all mental health, sexual health and legal professionals! We at StandWeSpeak are looking to collaborate with experts for our consultancy services. Apply through the link in bio! #hiring #sexualhealth #mentalhealth #consultancy #expert #startup #entrepreneur #lawyer #legal #sextech #sexed #lgbtq🌈 #genderequality #socialequality #globalhealth #queer #socialimpact #professional #sexeducation https://www.instagram.com/p/CQUJh3wBY_Z/?utm_medium=tumblr

[standwespeak]

Sign up NOW!!! Link in our bio. 🖋️ #standwespeak #sexeducation #sexpositive #love #sexualhealth #netflix #sexed #sex #sexeducationedit #sexeducationnetflix #selflove #sexeducator #pleasure #follow #sexeducationedits #sexuality #like #selfcare #relationships #sexualwellness #mentalhealth #lgbtq #lgbt #everyoneisequal https://www.instagram.com/p/CNhTbh1Bd-O/?igshid=100tl7pkzx85q

[standwespeak]

Sign up NOW!!! Link in our bio. 🖋️ https://www.instagram.com/p/CNhTN-8hWO0/?igshid=14tzvlbhdunw6

[standwespeak]

 Female Genital Mutilation or FGM is a procedure involving partial or complete removal of the external parts of the female genitalia for non-medical reasons. It also includes any other means of injury or alteration to a woman or girl's genitals. Usually, this practice is carried on by people who are not medical-practitioners, using knives, blades, and scalpels, etc. in the absence of antiseptics and anaesthesia. FGM is practiced all over the world under the excuse of religious beliefs and womanly honor. In some countries, this is used to suppress a woman's sexuality.  It has various long-term psychological as well as physical impacts in the form of behavioural turbulences, anxiety, depression, sexual dysfunction, and HIV transmission. Medical complications during FGM can lead to infertility, complications during childbirth, prolonged bleeding, and even death. According to the statistics provided by UNFPA AND UNICEF, globally, around 4 million girls between the age of 0 to 15 years are subjected to FGM. Some communities are actively trying to medicalise this practice, but that does not make it any less harmful. Either way, FGM is a violation of the fundamental human rights of women and girls.

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Motherhood is, and should be a choice – but only if its made willingly, happily and under no pressure from the family or loved ones. One should also acknowledge that this choice is also about shared parental duties (unless we are talking about moms who decide to parent singly, without partners). If more people were supportive of women’s choices to have or not to have a baby,  we would definitely have happier moms, happier babies and definitely a happier society – one that is more balanced, more equal and more accepting of both men’s and women’s life choices.

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It’s high time we destigmatise mental illness. Only even a few sessions with a therapist can lower the risk of suicide among at-risk patients. People suffering from major depression are more likely to improve with a combination of therapy and medication, as opposed to just medication. Research points to a strong stigma surrounding mental health disorders, a cultural mindset that often prevents people from seeking treatment. 

There’s an urgency to make mental health a top priority. It’s not something that can be ignored any longer. And for those of us struggling with mental illness, knowledge is power. Understanding that our challenges are real, nothing to be ashamed of — and that effective treatments toward wellness are available — is the first step toward healing.

[standwespeak]

Gender bending is sometimes a form of social activism undertaken to destroy rigid gender roles and defy sex-role stereotypes, notably in cases where the gender-nonconforming person finds these roles oppressive. It can be a reaction to, and protest of, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, or misandry. 

[standwespeak]

India is home to 253 million adolescents (aged 10-19 years) who comprise 21% of the country’s population as per the 2011 census who receive little to no education about their own sexuality. Sex education for all. 

[standwespeak]

Pap smear is a routine cervical screening test. During this, your doctor runs tests on samples from the cervix to determine the presence or absence of precancerous or cancerous cells on the cervix. The doctor places an instrument called the speculum inside the vagina to widen the vaginal walls. Subsequently, the doctor then takes a soft brush to scrape out some cells of the cervix, which is then sent for testing. It is essential that people with cervix get tested regularly around every three years to prevent the risk of cervical cancer. You can start to get tested after the age of 21 years, at least every 3 years. Once you have reached the age of 30, the doctors usually advise the pap test every 3 to 5 years along with the HPV test.

[standwespeak]

Even when the stigma around mental health is dissolved, eating disorders are still not actively talked about. Eating disorders need treatments too. The various factors causing these disorders to include impulsivity, perfectionism, neuroticism, perceived pressure to achieve the ideal body type intensively propagated by mainstream media. Let's take a look at some common eating disorders- - ANOREXIA NERVOSA is one of the most prevalent disorders. People with this condition obsessively monitor their weight to the point of being dangerously underweight. This disorder comes in 3 types- restricting type, binge eating, and purging type.

- BULIMIA NERVOSA is another eating disorder wherein the individual eats large amounts of food to the point that they become painfully full. They then compensate for this overeating through forced vomiting, fasting, taking laxatives, and diuretics. In this condition, the individual manages to sustain a normal weight instead of being fully underweight.

- PICA is a condition involving the intake of inedible materials like soap, chalk, dirt, and hair, etc. This eating disorder can lead to fatal infections and poisoning.

- BINGE EATING DISORDER is a condition where the person intakes uncomfortably huge amounts of food in relatively short periods, evoking shame, - guilt, and disgust in their behavior. They often increase the risk of heart diseases and type 2 diabetes.

- A person with RUMINATION DISORDER regurgitates food they have previously chewed/swallowed, to re-chew, and then re-swallows it or spits it out. It often leads to severe malnutrition.

- Symptoms of AFRID or Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder include disturbed eating due to repulsion from certain smells, colors, temperatures, textures, and tastes. It is more severe than mere picky eating or low food intake.

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According to Flo.health, only around 30% of women have timely ovulation. There is never a full 100% guarantee of you not getting pregnant during unsafe period sex. Contraception is easy to use and easy to acquire.

[standwespeak]

Anorgasmia, or Coughlan’s syndrome, is a type of sexual dysfunction that leaves a person unable to achieve orgasm, even with adequate stimulation. Anorgasmia is far more common in women than in men, and is especially rare in younger men. In men the condition is often related to delayed ejaculation. Anorgasmia can understandably cause sexual frustration for both partners. Working with a psychosexual therapist can help find a solution to the condition and identify the underlying issues that may have caused it.

[standwespeak]

Approximately 1 in 5 students, aged 12-18 has been bullied during the school year. More than half of the bullying situations stop when a peer intervenes on behalf of the student being bullied. Bullying can stop with, cease to be a bystander.

[standwespeak]

Myth: Depression is not a real illness.

Fact: Often wrongly perceived as mere sadness and emotional fluctuations, the discourse around depression is generally dismissed. Depression is not just short-lived emotional response, mood-fluctuation, laziness, self-pity, or weakness of character. It is a complex medical disorder. You cannot just snap out of depression as if it's a choice. It has psychological and biological origins and affects the chemistry of your brain. The stigma around depression, therapy, and antidepressants are a major cause behind the lack of resources for its treatment. Some treatments of depression include- psychotherapy, medical procedures, medications, alternate therapies, and lifestyle change.

According to the statistics provided by WHO, globally over 264 million people suffer from depression, and around 800,000 people die annually because of suicide.

It's clear that this issue deserves a supportive and non-judgemental approach, instead of stigmatization and misconceptions. If depression is left untreated, it can lead to severe health complications.

[standwespeak]

The clitoris is a part of the female genitalia whose only function is sexual pleasure. For thousands of years, the clitoris has been dismissed and misunderstood, so much so, that in 1545, while studying this organ, a French physician named it membre honteux or “the shameful member”. The nub of the clitoris, which is technically called glans clitoris, can be seen above the opening to the vagina. It is hidden under a hood of skin. However, 90 percent of the entire clitoris sits inside the body, into the pelvic, and is intertwined with the urethra, vagina, and labia. Textbooks mostly consist of inadequate depictions of the clitoris. It is made up of erectile tissue and branches out in a wishbone shape.

Direct stimulation of the clitoris leads to orgasms; however, it may cause discomfort to some women.

[standwespeak]

A person's sexual orientation or gender identity is an extremely personal affair. Having said that, as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, only you get to decide when, how, and whom to come out to. Nobody else has the right to reveal your identity without your consent, and that too, at someone else's terms. The lack of acceptance and alarming rates of hate crime against queer people can often cause them to refrain from coming out. Moreover, because of their identities, they are at risk of being subjected to queerphobia, potential marginalisation, public erasure, and abuse in private as well as public. All of this can lead to suicidal tendencies, suicide attempts, self-harm, and negative impacts on their mental health. Outing someone is an inexcusable violation of their privacy and security. Whatever be the reason, you must respect a person's decisions about their own identities.

[standwespeak]

According to the statistics of HIV.gov , 2018 - globally, a total of 37.9 million people are found to be living with HIV/AIDS, with around 777,000 dead. According to Center for Disease Control and Prevention; 2018- aggregate of 24.5 million people on antiretroviral therapy.