Talking About Sex & Depression

A topic of great importance to me is depression and the impact it has on sexuality. I’ve been doing a ton of research lately (I’m working on something… we’ll talk about it soon) and it brought to mind two of my favorite pieces on the topic so I’m dusting them off. Check it out!

5 Ways to Stay Sex Positive When You Are Dealing With Depression

Sometimes depression can suck the sexy right out of you which can be even more depressing. Let’s talk about some ways to fight that, shall we?

It’s Not You: 4 Signs Your Partner’s Too Depressed to Have Sex

Being turned down for sex can feel like rejection. When it’s caused by depression, it isn’t.

JoEllen Notte is a writer, speaker, and mental health advocate whose work explores the impact of depression on sex and relationships. Since 2012 she has written about sex, mental health, and how none of us are broken here at The Redhead Bedhead.

JoEllen has led workshops nationwide on sexual communication, navigating consent, having casual sex kindly, and dating as an introvert. She has toured sex shops, spoken at length on dildos, and even started a sex school but she is happiest and most effective when writing and speaking on behalf of quiet people who have sex. Check out her video series on attending conferences as an introvert and her extensive writing on sex and depression.

JoEllen has spoken at Clark College, University of Chicago, University of Tennessee, the Guelph Sexuality Conference, Woodhull’s Sexual Freedom Summit, and the Playground Conference

JoEllen’s first book The Monster Under the Bed: Sex, Depression & The Conversation We Aren’t Having was published by Thorntree Press in March 2020. Her new book In It Together: Navigating Depression with Partners, Friends, and Family was published by Thornapple Press in March 2023.