Gay chemsex

2021 July. Shared decision making with vulnerable populations in the emergency department. If yes, what do you use and how frequently do you use these substances to have sex? [PMID: 33563500]

FitzGerald C, Hurst S. Implicit bias in healthcare professionals: a systematic review. [PMID: 32817561]

Groot G, Waldron T, Barreno L, et al. Conversely, drugs used during chemsex can worsen co-occurring psychiatric conditions.

Psychological processes and stimulant use among men who have sex with men. It is thought to have been linked to the rise in ‘hook-up’ culture and casual sex opportunities that came with the technological innovation of sex/dating apps. [PMID: 31739177]

Ostrow D. G., Plankey M. W., Cox C., et al. Some individuals find sex partners through geosocial networking apps (e.g., Grindr, Scruff), which have their own chemsex language and symbols (emojis).

[PMID: 33983866]

Niburski K, Guadagno E, Abbasgholizadeh-Rahimi S, et al. Some individuals engage in chemsex episodically (e.g., on weekends, at parties) and these may be high-risk episodes. However, due to a loss of inhibitions and the powerful influence of stimulants, there is a large risk of social, physical and sexual boundaries being crossed during chemsex.

Addiction and dependency

Engaging in chemsex increases the risk of addiction in three ways.

2019; Wilson, et al. [PMID: 19043497]

Institute of Medicine. Furthermore, institutional policy and regional legislation, such as requirements for parental consent for gender-affirming care for transgender people or insurance coverage for sexual health care, may infringe upon a patient’s ability to access preventive- or treatment-related care [Sewell, et al.

2021; Evers, et al. [PMID: 36872623]

Jaspal R. Chemsex, identity and sexual health among gay and bisexual men. https://unaids-ap.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/chemsex-toolkit-for-clinical-service-providers-in-the-asia-pacific-region_05112024.pdf [accessed 2025 Feb 18]

Wagner K. D., Fiuty P., Page K., et al. Sex Transm Infect 2018;94(7):494-501.

2021], ensures that the selection of a care plan is mutually agreed upon, and considers the patient’s ability to effectively use and adhere to the selected course of prevention or treatment.

Resources and Suggested Reading