I suspect there's high mental illness in sex work not because sex work causes mental illness, but because sex work is more likely to be performed by people who are willing to go 'against the grain' for money - common in poverty, poor support networks, or general life difficulty.
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Also I suspect this holds true with other professions which require 'rejection of society's blessing' to work - certain types of artists, or the 'hacker living in the basement' trope, for example.
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I remember a Scandinavian study showing a higher prevalence of mental disorders in sex workers compared to the background population before they entered the sex work, followed by an increase in mental health issues.
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Like I said; i think sex work selects for people with mental illness. Also people tend to get into sex work young (at least in my industry?), and mental health issues tend to hit in the early 20s. could just be correlation.
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Hi Aella,
I've also noticed that a handful of women who do "cam". (I don't say "cam models". To me that objectifying women. IMO) I've noticed that a handful suffer from some form of anxiety. I dont know if that's happened before or after they've started.
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I think it also might be that sex work is a last resort for many, so sex workers often have had difficult, mentally stressful lives.
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I've always considered the term mental illness reserved for a rarer and primarily debilitating symptoms. And I wouldnt always associate that with persons that just have different boundaries socially and personally.
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I guess having to live a life that needs to be kept secret from some friends/family members/colleagues can’t help either.
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It is also one of the most compatible with mental illness in terms of things like flexible scheduling
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