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TechnoratiEat right. Wear seatbelts. Avoid cigarettes. Use sunscreen.
Yearly, thousands of college kids hear this wisdom from their university health services and wellness professors.
However, it is unlikely that these same students will hear this gem: "Casual sexual liaisons on college campuses are hazardous, especially for young women. Medically and psychologically, it's wise to wait."
One campus psychiatrist wants to know why this advice is rare. She notes, "College health centers do a great job educating students about all sorts of health issues. These professionals expect that, given accurate information, students will make smart choices. They recommend, 'have the salad instead of the pizza.' They assume that young people are capable of self-discipline - and expect it of them. There's only one exception: sexual health. Here students are told: limit your partners, and use latex. Well, it's not working."
This psychiatrist should know. I can tell you she is employed in the college counseling center of a major university and that she is also the author of a new book, Unprotected, which describes the faulty practices of the typical university health and counseling center. What I cannot tell you is her name.
The author of Unprotected has taken the name Dr. Anonymous because she is fearful of professional reprisals for her stunningly candid picture of college health today. In an interview, she told me she feels very much at risk. "I'm discussing a taboo topic here: the dangers of radical social agendas in my profession. My colleagues are well-intentioned, and care deeply about their patients. But campus counseling centers are whitewashing the painful consequences of casual sex, STDs and abortion. They are promoting the notion that men and women are the same. They are not educating young people about future and family. In these issues, so central to campus health and counseling, we are failing our young people."
Dr. Anonymous says she is inhibited by her profession from warning students about the risks of unrestrained sexual behavior, perhaps, she believes, because it sounds judgmental. The anything-goes mentality has found its way in to campus health. However, she says, morals aside, "It is not smart to hook up, especially for women."
A superb story teller, she describes patients who pursue success by eating well, exercising, and structuring their lives to get good educational experiences. However, what they don't do well is manage healthy intimate lives. One student, Heather, told Dr. Anonymous that she was depressed but never considered that her depression might relate to a loveless "friends with benefits" relationship with a young man. Dr. Anonymous quotes the young woman saying, "...I'm confused, because it seems like I don't get the 'friend' part, but he still gets the 'benefits.'" Has any mental health or health professional informed Heather that research demonstrates casual sex is associated with an increased risk for depression? Apparently not.
Sadly, however, some prestigious universities present the opposite message. One shocking example from the book is the Columbia University Health Services' website Goaskalice.com. The website portrays itself as a resource to help students "make responsible decisions regarding their health and well-being." What can student learn there? Dr Anonymous lists some of the questions addressed: "Health risks of bestiality;" and how to manage a threesome. You can even learn how to clean a bloody cat-o'nine-tails whip between sadomasochism sessions. And it's all included in the tuition. Continue »
