“With the right treatment, people can go on and have a flourishing, robust sex life,” says Balestrieri. She adds that learning to cope with having an STD takes time, but that it can be done (along with treatment, of course). “The first reaction is typically shame, fear, and embarrassment,” she says. “Patients feel guilty, like it’s their fault. Many internalize it and assume that they’re ‘bad.’ Some become self-destructive, either in their minds or with their behavior.”