Posted December 27, The behavioral health field has a long history of working with people involved in sexwork. They are usually women, and increasingly transgender. In the minds of many clinicians, involvement in sexwork or prostitution is seen as a hallmark sign of behavioral health disturbance, typically associated with severe substance use disorders, and people using sex as a way to obtain drugs.
Today, amidst a nationwide campaign about human trafficking, many therapists grow concerned that a patient involved in sexwork has been subjected to human trafficking.
Both of these concerns may sometimes be valid, and therapists must carefully assess whether an individual is reporting symptoms of severe substance use disorder, or shows signs that their involvement in sexwork has been nonconsensual or exploitative. However, research with sexwork has predominantly focused on HIV exposure issues, often linked to the high risk-factor of intravenous drug use. Increasingly, individuals consensually involved in various aspects of sexwork are seeking mental health support, and experiencing stigma , assumptions, and judgment from their clinicians.
Sexwork itself has become a much broader field than was conceived previously. The ability to create independent pornographic material, and market it directly to consumers, using online tools, has led to the creation of many semi-amateur porn performers, whose studios are their own bedrooms, in quiet neighborhoods of small town America.
In a recent sad tragedy, an adult film performer, August Ames, was lost to suicide. After her death, news coverage revealed that she had a history of both mental health problems, and struggles accessing affirmative, supportive care. In this study , adult film actresses reported greater sexual interest and enjoyment, more sexual experience, earlier sexual experiences, and greater history of drug use. These findings support the notion that people who gravitate towards performing in porn may tend to be higher in sensation-seeking tendencies, something that is also seen in consumers of porn, and people engaged in alternative sexual practices and relationships.
