Tema-Ghana, Sept. 15, GNA – The stay-at-home period during the COVID-19 pandemic increased addiction to masturbation as some people hooked onto the internet for content to satisfy their sexual desires.
Faced with the indefinite time alone, many people turned to self-pleasure with a focus on phonographic materials on the internet, vibrators, dildos, and virtual sex with their distant partners.
Dr Yaa Akyaa Boateng, a Family Physician Specialist, International Maritime Hospital, Tema, said the dangers of excessive masturbation could lead to long-term mental health concerns, therefore people addicted may require psychological support to ensure they did not suffer the side effects.
Masturbation is a form of autoeroticism in which a person sexually stimulates his or her own genitals for sexual arousal or other sexual pleasure, usually to the point of orgasm.
“Masturbation makes people less sensitive to romantic relationships and friendships because they will isolate themselves from loved ones, have difficulty forming attachments, and pay less attention to their needs,” she said.
Dr Boateng said this at the weekly health communication platform of the Ghana News Agency’s Tema Regional Office, dubbed: “Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility!”
Touching on the topic: “Adolescent Health Awareness,” she said the brain got conditioned to be stimulated more by viewing pornographic materials than by connecting emotionally with a partner.
“ So often when those who engage in masturbation are having sexual interactions, it is difficult to get aroused or even go through the act because it does not excite them any more.”
Dr Boateng said because masturbating was not an interaction with another person to exchange bodily fluid, the chance of contracting a sexually transmitted disease was low.
However, she expressed concern over people’s indulgence in the act, especially the youth, and its bad impact on the adolescent age group.
She recommended that psychological attention be paid to persons engaged in the practice to reverse or overcome it because it could conflict with moral values or religious beliefs.
The programme; “Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility” is an initiative by the GNA to promote health-related communication to influence personal health choices.
