SEXUAL DISORDERS IN NONACUTE PSYCHIATRIC OUTPATIENTS

One hundred schizophrenics and 58 patients with an affective psychosis who were in relatively stable condition and were being treated as out patients, as well as 30 patients receiving dermatological treatment, w ere questioned in a semistructured interview about their sexual histor y. Forty-nine percent of schizophrenics, 36.2% of those with affective disorders, and 13.3% of control patients had a sexual dysfunction. Th e most frequent form experienced by psychiatric patients was hypoactiv e sexual desire disorder. Underlying causes were presumed to be multif actorial in most cases (expert rating). The patients most frequently a ffected by sexual dysfunctions were schizophrenics on neuroleptic medi cation, whereas schizophrenic patients not on any medication had fewer dysfunctions and control patients were only minimally affected. Neith er the nature of the psychopharmaceuticals nor the dose level had a sp ecific influence on the frequency of sexual dysfunctions. Copyright (C ) 1996 by W.B. Saunders Company