Female Sexual Dysfunction and Schizophrenia: A Clinical Review

Abstract

<jats:p> Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) is understudied and unexplored in clinical practice. There is a need for psychiatrists to acknowledge the same and explore this symptom in patients with schizophrenia. The following article is a clinical review that looks at various facets of FSD in relation to schizophrenia. The various types of FSD seen in schizophrenia are elaborated and factors that affect the same are discussed. The role of various factors and antipsychotic-induced FSD is also discussed. The role of estrogens in women with schizophrenia from a clinical and sexual perspective, the role of oral contraceptives in schizophrenia, schizophrenia and pregnancy related complications along with menopause, and its effect on schizophrenia and sexual function in these patients are discussed. The neurobiology of FSD is explored briefly along with the role of female sexuality in recovery and enhancing outcome in schizophrenia is also elaborated. The victimization of female patients with schizophrenia and future research needs in FSD in schizophrenia are laid out. </jats:p>

A Grading System to Assess Female Sexual and Reproductive Psychiatry and Identification of a New Syndrome

“…th described 'obsession' and another 1/4 th from their description showed attachment disorder as they described 'love' as comfort and few had thanatophobia. Erotomania mostly can cause unprecedented high libido and orgasm but ultimately culminates in hyposexuality [11]. The 6.1% and more having obsession which should be complemented by some compulsion and anxiety disorder are at a greater risk of unsatisfied sex life as any spectrum of Obsessive compulsive disorder or OCD rapidly regress libido with females specifically having anorgasmia and arousal phase problems.…”

Schizophrenia Psychosis in Women

“…Sleep difficulties are another common feature in schizophrenia, more common in women than in men [103]. Sexual dysfunction in schizophrenia, attributable to antipsychotic drugs and the resultant hyperprolactinemia, is most often considered a uniquely male problem, but it affects females as well [104,105]. Important for health providers is the fact that psychotic episodes can be triggered or exacerbated by drugs used to treat commonly occurring comorbidities.…”

Beyond antipsychotics: the role of medication and nonmedication factors in female sexual dysfunctions in schizophrenia

“…Therefore, there is a cultural influence on the conceptualization of sexual dysfunctions (including FSD) which makes a cross-cultural comparison of normative sexual behavior and sexual dysfunctions of critical interest (Bhavsar and Bhugra, 2013). For example, in some cultures it is considered taboo for women to disclose the distress experienced related to sexual dysfunctions as a result of a prevailing conservative mindset, which might be one of the reasons why epidemiologic investigations regarding FSDs especially from non-Western countries (including the Arab countries) are particularly scanty (Lodha and De Sousa, 2020), and why, in general, epidemiologic data on the prevalence of sexual dysfunctions across cultures are limited. It is likely that prevalence rates vary across cultures, as do help-seeking patterns and pathways into care (Bhavsar and Bhugra, 2013).…”

“…Female sexual dysfunctions (FSDs) are an understudied and underexplored area in clinical practice (Lodha and De Sousa, 2020). Most studies examining sexual function in psychotic disorders have focused on the unwanted effects of antipsychotic drugs and have also largely been conducted in males, despite evidence that women with psychosis also experience high rates of sexual dysfunction (Basson and Gilks, 2018).…”