Journal of Affective Disorders
Volume 91, Issue 1 , Pages 27-32, March 2006

Burden of phase-specific sexual dysfunction with SSRIs☆

  • Anita Clayton

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatric Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
    • Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +1 434 243 4646; fax: +1 434 243 4743.
    • ,
  • Adrienne Keller

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatric Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
    • Department of Health Evaluation Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
    • ,
  • Elizabeth L. McGarvey

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatric Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA

Received 11 April 2005; received in revised form 18 November 2005; accepted 7 December 2005.

Abstract 

Objective

This study examines phase-specific sexual dysfunction among patients who are being treated for major depression and who do not meet criteria for global sexual dysfunction.

Methods

6297 adult outpatients receiving antidepressant monotherapy completed the Changes in Sexual Functioning Questionnaire (CSFQ). The sub-sample for this study (n=3114) comprises participants who were receiving treatment with a SSRI or SNRI and did not meet the gender-specific criterion for global sexual dysfunction on the CSFQ.

Results

Among this sub-sample, 95.6% of women and 97.9% of men exhibited impairment in at least one phase of sexual functioning. Men were significantly more likely than women to experience dysfunction in the desire phase (91.2% vs. 79.0%; OR=2.76; 95% C.I.=2.14 to 3.5) and the orgasmic phase (85.1% vs. 45.4%; OR=6.9; 95% C.I.=5.6 to 8.4) but were significantly less likely than women to experience dysfunction in the arousal phase (71.9% vs. 83.3%; OR=.51; 95% C.I.=.43 to .62). The prevalence of phase-specific dysfunction did not vary significantly by SSRI/SNRI for males or females.

Conclusion

Among patients who do not experience clinically significant global sexual dysfunction on SSRI/SNRI monotherapy, dysfunction in at least one phase of the sexual response cycle is very common and may reduce sexual health-related quality of life.

Keywords: Antidepressant-induced sexual dysfunction, SSRI, SNRI, Phase-specific

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☆ Some of the information in this paper appeared as part of a poster presentation at the American Psychiatric Association annual meeting in San Francisco, CA, May 2003. This work was done at the Department of Psychiatric Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia.

PII: S0165-0327(05)00376-9

doi:10.1016/j.jad.2005.12.007

Journal of Affective Disorders
Volume 91, Issue 1 , Pages 27-32, March 2006

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