Psychosexual Problem in Remitted Psychiatric Patients

Background: Many patients and health literature, in general, allege that psychotropic agents cause sexual side effects. Objective: We intended to investigate this issue in a Nepalese clinical setting by estimating the prevalence of psychosexual problems among remitted psychiatric outpatients (on psychotropic medication) and by comparing it with that of a nonpsychiatric patient group (on nonpsychotropic medication). Methodology: In this hospital-based cross-sectional comparison study with purposive sampling, we collected the responses to a self-response questionnaire called “Arizona Sexual Experience Scale” from a total of 400 subjects: 100 male and 100 female consecutive consenting remitted psychiatric and dermatological outpatients, each with sex and marital status matching. We recorded pertinent information in the proforma and screened psychosexual problems with the Arizona Sexual Experience Scale after informed written consent. The problems in psychiatric and dermatological groups were compared. Results: We have more subjects of reproductive ages in both the psychiatric and dermatological groups. Depression, anxiety, and bipolar affective disorder were the most common diagnoses in the psychiatric patients, whereas eczema, fungal, immunologic, and allergic skin lesions/diseases were common in the dermatological patients. Both groups had comparable sexual dysfunction rates, both by overall and the criteria of ≥3 items with scores ≥4, whereas dermatological patients had more problems with criteria of ≥1 item with a score ≥5. Conclusions: Psychosexual dysfunction was more or less similar in frequency among both the psychiatric patients on psychotropic medication and dermatological patients on topical agents.

Mini-hysteroscopy for a married virgin with a tubular ectocervical giant polyp combined with psychosexual dysfunction: a case report

A 32-year-old virgin presented with psychosexual dysfunction and a mass in the vulva. The mass arose from the cervix with a thin pedicle and it was 6 × 1.5 cm. The mass protruded outside of the hymen, it had a canal inside and an opening at the distal end, and it had a genital-like appearance. A mucosal fold was found in the tubular lumen. Fibrous smooth muscle was observed in the tubal wall, which was covered by squamous and endometrial glandular epithelium on each side. A cervical giant polyp with a canal inside the polyp might be differentially diagnosed from prolapsed genitals and abnormal sexual development. Polypectomy by mini-hysteroscopy was effective for alleviating psychosexual dysfunction caused by the mass in this patient.

Psychosexual Dysfunctions Among Alcohol-Dependent Individuals: A Cross-Sectional Study from a Tertiary Care Center of Southern India

Background: Chronic alcohol dependence is known to cause psychosexual dysfunction, which leads to marked psychiatric morbidity. There is a dearth of studies from India in this area. Aim: To estimate the frequency of psychosexual dysfunction in individuals with alcohol dependence and to explore the association between psychosexual dysfunction and various socio-demographic and alcohol-related variables. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted on 50 male patients in a tertiary care center. The evaluation was conducted using a specially designed intake pro forma and tools such as the severity of alcohol dependence questionnaire, checklist for sexual dysfunction and International Classification of Disease, Tenth Revision, and diagnostic criteria for research. Results: Sexual dysfunction was present in 66% of alcohol-dependent individuals. The most common among them was found to be aversion to sex (32%) followed by erectile dysfunction (24%). In most of the cases, patients having erectile dysfunction were also found to have aversion to sex. Conclusion: Sexual dysfunction is highly prevalent in male patients with alcohol dependence. The study highlights the detrimental effects of alcohol on sexual function apart from other etiological factors.

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: Long-Term Health Consequences

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrinopathy in women and can be associated with significant adverse sequelae that can affect overall long-term health and well-being. This review provides a succinct but comprehensive overview of our current understanding concerning the known morbidities of PCOS, beginning with a review of the importance of the different phenotypes of PCOS in determining long-term morbidity, the confounding impact of obesity on health outcomes in PCOS, and the immediate short-term consequences of the disorder (including dermatologic, reproductive, and mood disturbances). The longer-term morbidities of PCOS are then reviewed including metabolic consequences (impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease), dyslipidemia and vascular dysfunction (including hypertension and increased incidences of cerebrovascular accidents and thromboembolisms on oral contraceptives), neoplastic (primarily endometrial adenocarcinoma), and mental health disorders (including greater incidences of depressive and anxiety disturbances and psychosexual dysfunction). In conclusion, strategies for the prevention and amelioration of long-term morbidities in PCOS are presented.