Got To Be In Healthy Relationships To Be Healthy

Rape:
The crime of forcing another person to submit to sex acts. Abusive or improper treatment.

Sexual Abuse:
The forcing of unwanted sexual activity by one person on another as by the use of threats or coercion. Sexual activity that is deemed improper or harmful.

 - American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed., 2000

These dictionary definitions become cloudy for a lot of young women who are in unhealthy relationships.

To begin with, there are a lot of expectations for a young girl in a sexual relationship. These lines that are drawn in the dictionary definitions are muddled or non-existent for some teen girls and guys, which is confusing and devastating for some girls. When young girls do not know what is going on, feelings of doubt come up due to the distorted pressures of society that get in the way, which is a contributing factor to depression. Make sure when treating young girls with depression that there is a distinction between healthy and unhealthy sexual relationships, so that they can better understand their own relationships. Many young women are in abusive relationships, which is a huge contributing factor to experiencing depression, as many feel that they can’t get out of these relationships or sexual patterns.

Hear me, Understand me, Support me: What young women want you to know about depression

• Acknowledgements
• Letter to Service Providers
• About the Guide
• Challenges
• Unspoken Challenges
• Girl-Centred Health
• A Healthy Helping Relationship
• The Last Word
• A Critical Link - Referrals and Additional Resources
• In Their Words: Young Women's Stories, Advice and Wisdom