Sexual Dysfunctions in Depression

Abstract

Sexual dysfunction is one of the common symptoms seen in depression. Presentations include decreased libido, erectile dysfunction, arousal difficulties and orgasm related dysfunctions. The probable causes of sexual dysfunction in such patients are complex and biological, psychological as well as psychosocial factors are likely to play an important role. Sexual dysfunction could also occur as an adverse effect of anti-depressants although it is difficult to establish whether the dysfunction is due to the illness or the medication. Awareness among professionals about sexual dysfunction is essential as it can have a profound impact in terms of relationship conflict, marital satisfaction, quality of life and compliance with treatment in patients with depression.

An Exploratory Analysis of the Relation between Offensive Language and Mental Health

“…Keywords with a negative polarity, such as bad, die or pain, seem to be pervasive in the speech of depressed individuals as confirmed in our study. Finally, the reduced sexual drive is a well-known indication of depression (Manohar et al, 2017), therefore, it is to be expected that depressed individuals tend to use fewer words with sexual connotation as confirmed in our study.…”

Improvement of sexuality after hepatitis C cure with direct acting antivirals

“…We specifically evaluated the presence of depression (by PHQ9) 15 at baseline as it can be a cause of sexual dysfunction. 16,17 Its treatment often leads to restoration of sexual functioning, although antidepressants may themselves also be associated to sexual disabilities. 17 At baseline, the prevalence of major depression in our cohort was in line with previous reports in HCV-patients 1,18 (20.4%).…”

“…16,17 Its treatment often leads to restoration of sexual functioning, although antidepressants may themselves also be associated to sexual disabilities. 17 At baseline, the prevalence of major depression in our cohort was in line with previous reports in HCV-patients 1,18 (20.4%). We have shown that assessment of depression is important when exploring sexuality: major depression (PHQ9 > 10) (but not the use of antidepressants) and age ≥ 55 years were independently associated with sexual dysfunction at baseline, with prevalence close to 90% in this subpopulation.…”

“…At baseline, fear of transmitting HCV, and reported limitations for a healthy sexual life were high. We specifically evaluated the presence of depression (by PHQ9) 15 at baseline as it can be a cause of sexual dysfunction 16,17 . Its treatment often leads to restoration of sexual functioning, although antidepressants may themselves also be associated to sexual disabilities 17 .…”

“…Median CSFQ-14 score of the population was 42 (33-47), the visual-analogical scale (CSFQ-VAS) median value was 50 (30-80), and the overall prevalence of sexual dysfunction was 61.9%(Table 1). Among the different subdomains, desire was the most affected item, with a median score of 14.5(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17) of the 25 potential total points. Overall, HCV female patients reported lower scores at all the evaluated items compared to their male counterparts.…”