Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-m9kch Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-22T02:20:48.127Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Sexual behavior and sexual problems among patients with severe chronic psychoses

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

Michele Raja  and
Antonella Azzoni
Antonella Azzoni
Affiliation:
Service of Psychiatry, Santo Spirito Hospital, Mental Health Department ASL RM E, Via Prisciano, 26, 00136Rome, Italy
Get access

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate sexual behavior in a population of psychiatric patients affected by schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder or bipolar disorder by means of an ad hoc questionnaire designed to explore the three phases of the sexual response: desire (or interest), arousal, and performance. The study assessed patients’ attitude toward sexuality, several aspects of their sexual behavior, including patients’ awareness of the risk of sexually transmitted diseases (STD), contraceptive strategy preferred by patients, and sexual effects of psychotropic medication. Patients reported a high frequency of sexual dysfunction, in particular, hyposexuality. Schizophrenia diagnosis and female gender were associated with lower levels of sexual performance. The impact of psychotropic drugs on patients’ sexuality was significant, with both positive and negative effects. Although 65.8% of patients reported to be concerned about the risk of contracting infections during sexual intercourse, most of them engaged in sexual behavior at high risk for acquisition and transmission of STD. Patients’ compliance with contraceptive measures was poor.

Keywords

SchizophreniaBipolar disorderSchizoaffective disorderSexual behaviorPrevention
Type
Original article
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 18 , Issue 2 , March 2003 , pp. 70 - 76
Copyright
Copyright © Éditions scientifiques et médicales Elsevier SAS 2002

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 4th ed.Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association; 1994.Google Scholar
Andreasen, NC.Scale for the assessment of positive symptoms (SAPS). Iowa City: University of Iowa; 1983.Google Scholar
Andreasen, NC.Scale for the assessment of negative symptoms (SANS). Iowa City: University of Iowa; 1981.Google Scholar
Azzoni, A, Barini, A, Daniele, A, Gainotti, G, Mazza, S.Proposal for a questionnaire on the sexual dysfunctions in temporal lobe epilepsy patients. Boll Lega It Epil 1987;58/59:229–30.Google Scholar
Baldessarini, RJ.Chemotherapy in Psychiatry: principles and practice. Cambridge Mass: Harvard University Press; 1985.Google Scholar
Bech, P, Kastrup, M, Rafaelsen, OJ.Minicompendium of rating scales. Acta Psychiatr Scand 1986;73(Suppl 326).Google Scholar
Clayton, DO, Shen, WW.Psychotropic drug-induced sexual function disorders: diagnosis, incidence and management. Drug Safety 1998; 19(4):299–312.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Collaborative working group on clinical trial evaluations. Adverse effects of the atypical antipsychotics. J Clin Psychiatry 1998;59(Suppl 12):17–22.Google Scholar
Coverdale, JH, Schotte, D, Ruiz, P, Pharies, S, Bayer, T.Family planning needs of male chronic mental patients in the general hospital psychiatry clinic. Gen Hosp Psychiatry 1994;16(1):38–41.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Coverdale, JH, Turbott, SH, Roberts, H.Family planning needs and STD risk behaviours of female psychiatric out-patients. Br J Psychiatry 1997;171:69–72.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Daniele, A, Azzoni, A, Bizzi, A, Rossi, A, Mazza, S, Gainotti, G.Sexual behavior and hemispheric laterality of the focus in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. Biol Psychiatry 1997;42:617–24.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
de Molina Roman, MR, Salvador Carulla, L, Foras Eroles, F.Sexuality and schizophrenia. Acta Psiquiatr Psicol Am Lat 1994;40(3): 195–206.Google Scholar
Folstein, MF, Folstein, SE, McHugh, P.Mini-mental state: a practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. J Psychiatr Res 1975;12:189–98.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ghadirian, AM, Chouinard, G, Annable, L.Sexual dysfunction and plasma prolactin levels in neuroleptic-treated schizophrenic outpatients. J Nerv Ment Dis 1982;170:463–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gottesman, IL, Groome, CS.HIV/AIDS risks as a consequence of schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull 1997;23(4):675–84.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hyman, SE.Manual of psychiatric emergencies. Boston/Toronto:Little, Brown and Company; 1984 259pp.Google Scholar
Kelly, JA.HIV risk reduction interventions for persons with severe mental illness. Clin Psychol Rev 1997;17(3):293–309.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Knox, MD, Boaz, TL, Friedrich, MA, Dow, MG.HIV risk factors for persons with serious mental illness. Community Ment Health J 1994; 30(6):551–63.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McDermott, BE, Sautter, FJ jr, Winstead, DK, Quirk, T.Diagnosis, health beliefs, and risk factors of HIV infection in psychiatric patients. Hosp Community Psychiatry 1994;45(6):580–5.Google ScholarPubMed
Miller, LJ, Finnerty, M.Sexuality, pregnancy, and childrearing among women with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. Psychiatr Serv 1996; 47(5):502–6.Google ScholarPubMed
Mitchell, JE, Popkin, MK.Antipsychotic drug therapy and sexual dysfunction in men. Am J Psychiatry 1982;139:633–7.Google ScholarPubMed
Nestoros, JN, Lehmann, HE, Ban, TA.Sexual behavior of the male schizophrenic: the impact of illness and medications. Arch Sex Behav 1981;10(5):412–42.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pinderhuges, CA, Barrabee, GE, Reyna, LJ.Psychiatric disorders and sexual functioning. Am J Psychiatry 1972;128:1276–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Seagraves, RT.Overview of sexual dysfunction complicating the treatment of depression. J Clin Psychiatry 1992;10(2):4–10 [Monograph].Google Scholar
Seidman, SN, Rieder, RO.A review of sexual behavior in the United States. Am J Psychiatry 1994;151(3):337.Google ScholarPubMed
Thompson, SC, Checkley, GE, Hocking, JS, Crofts, N, Mijch, AM, Judd, FK.HIV risk behaviour and HIV testing of psychiatric patients in Melbourne. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 1997;31(4):566–76.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Velek, M, Lane, TA.Heterosexual relationship of psychiatric patients established during their treatment. Int J Soc Psychiatry 1981;27(2): 111–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Winer, GA, Makowski, D, Alpert, RH, Collins, FJ.An analysis of experimenter effects on responses to a sex questionnaire. Arch Sex Behavior 1988;17:257–64.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.