Exploring Sexuality: A Psychological Stance in India

Sex is a fundamental human drive, whereas, sexuality is a fundamental aspect of human behavior. India has significantly influenced its history through various forms such as celibacy, entertainment, pornography, and the sex industry. Ancient India's religions and cultures influenced the LGBTQIA + population. However, modern Indian society places more emphasis on privacy and taboos around sex, while also aiming to equalize racial discrimination. Various theories about sexuality exist, including those by Freud, Jung, and others which further helps individuals to understand their sexuality. The present chapter aims to explore four questions: how the history of sexuality in India has evolved, which theory can help to have a better understanding of sexuality, what mental health concerns people of varied sexual orientations in modern India experience and how to solve those issues? The study analyses mental health aspects of individuals of different sexualities, including LGBTQIA+ individuals in India, focusing on mental health concerns and potential mitigation pathways. It uses different modalities in literature search, including databases like Elsevier, PubMed, and ResearchGate. The data is then abstracted and written after analysing the similarities and variations in the investigated subject matter. Based on the key findings, it can be said that people of different sexuality face a high proportion of mental health and other health issues due to societal prejudice, oppression, and discrimination. To eliminate these issues, sex education in India has been introduced and sexuality rights have been promoted.