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The head of the psychiatry and addictology department at Paul-Brousse Hospital (AP-HP) has submitted a report on chemsex to the Ministry of Solidarity and Health. Thanks to the work of the President of the French Federation of Addictology, action plans can be put in place to prevent and reduce the risks of this practice, which seems to be more and more widespread in France.
What is chemsex?
It was in September 2021 that the Ministry of Health commissioned a report on chemsex. Chemsex is a combination of the English words “chemical” and “sex”. The term “chemical” stands for chemical products. It is about consuming synthetic drugs during sexual intercourse, with the aim of initiating, facilitating, prolonging or improving it. These drugs have psychoactive effects, being defined as substances having the capacity to modify the psychic state of the consumer.
On the national territory, it is mainly synthetic molecules which belong to the family of cathinones which are consumed. They are stimulants of the central nervous system, which is responsible for regulating many bodily functions such as perception, movement, but also thoughts, feelings, speech and memory.
The practice of chemsex is very risky for users, especially young people. Consuming drugs during sexual intercourse leads to dangerous consequences, such as the multiplication of partners or unprotected sexual activities, increasing the risk of sexually transmitted infections.
A concept that is difficult to quantify…
Although in the minority, chemsex is a phenomenon that has been developing in France for about ten years. It first started in the major cities of France. However, today, chemsex is becoming more democratic and no longer exclusively concerns city dwellers. This practice has become commonplace, since it was previously most often associated with male homosexuality. Nevertheless, as indicated in the report drawn up by Pr Amine Benyamina, “To date, few consolidated data exist to quantify the extent of the phenomenon and assess the share of affected populations.”.
However, more and more health professionals are noticing health problems related to chemsex, such as:
- Drug addiction;
- Infectious problems;
- Mental health disorders.
Moreover, it was observed by the actors in the field “an increase in the number of users […] by the context of the health crisis linked to Covid-19 during the year 2020.”
… but which needs to be taken care of
To deal with chemsex, to prevent this practice from becoming too widespread and to understand its real stakes, Professor Benyamina has drawn up an inventory. The objective of this reportis to equip professionals for the identification, prevention and management of the problems potentially caused by these practices”. The aim is also to issue recommendations to strengthen actions around chemsex, as part of the 2021-2024 sexual health roadmap.
On the other hand, the Improved Multidisciplinary Network Accompaniment (ARPA)-CHEMSEX project will be able to contribute to this roadmap. The avenue to prioritize is that of prevention and risk reduction. Support from a sexual and mental health and addiction point of view for people who practice chemsex is also at the heart of this program.
To do this, links must be strengthened between the various prevention establishments and professionals. This is why a document and a map are being created for experts and individuals.