Prevalence and Psychological Impact of Antidepressant-Associated Sexual Dysfunction

Abstract

This study attempted to estimate the prevalence and impact of sexual dysfunction on quality of life, treatment compliance, and dyadic adjustment with spouse. For this, 100 consenting subjects who had history of unipolar depression (as per Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview) and were in remission (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, <7) at time of intake and met the selection criteria were recruited. Then, they were assessed on Hamilton Anxiety Scale, Global Assessment of Functioning Scale, Compliance Rating Scale, Arizona Sexual Experience Questionnaire, World Health Organization Quality Of Life scale-BREF Version, and Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Twenty-three subjects were found to have sexual dysfunction. Nine subjects had dysfunction in the domain of desire, 5 had arousal difficulty, 6 subjects had problem with erection, and 8 subjects had problem with orgasm. Some of the subjects (n = 5) had sexual dysfunction in more than 1 domain. Significant difference was found between those with and without sexual dysfunction on dyadic adjustment scale and quality of life scale. However, no significant difference was seen on compliance rating scale and global assessment of functioning scale. From this study, it can be concluded that approximately one fourth of married male subjects experience antidepressant-associated sexual dysfunction. Antidepressant-associated sexual dysfunction contributes to poor quality of life and possibly contributes to poor marital adjustment. Hence, proper identification and management of sexual dysfunction is important to improve overall outcome of depression.

Prevalence and pattern of sexual dysfunction in married females receiving antidepressants: An exploratory study

“…[10–13] There is no study available that has specifically evaluated sexual dysfunction in female patients receiving antidepressants.…”

Sexual Dysfunction in Patients with Antidepressant-treated Anxiety or Depressive Disorders: a Pragmatic Multivariable Longitudinal Study

“…Two Indian studies suggested worse sexual outcome in antidepressant-treated women (relative to men), but neither study used a longitudinal design. 27,28 We found that the proportion of patients who tolerated sexual problems poorly increased from 2.9% at week 2 to 9.8% at week 6. The true value at week 6 could have been as high as 16.3% if data for the 15 patients who dropped out owing to sexual problems had been included.…”

Prevalence and Type of Sexual Dysfunction in Female Patients Receiving Antidepressant Medications

“…These findings are comparable to the existing literature. 10,16,13 These findings suggest that the prevalence of sexual dysfunction in various domains and overall prevalence is influenced by the assessment scales and the cutoff used to define sexual dysfunction. In this study, sexual dysfunction was also evaluated by using, a semistructured interview.…”