Am J Psychiatry 1981; 138:757-763
Copyright © 1981 by American Psychiatric Association
Psychopathology in individuals with sexual dysfunction
LR Derogatis, JK Meyer and KM King
The literature contains contradictory reports on the psychiatric status of
individuals with sexual dysfunction. As a step toward resolving the
controversy the authors administered the SCL-90-R to a large series of
patients who sought treatment for sexual disorders (N = 325). Psychiatric
evaluations were also done for each patient. Results showed
disproportionate levels of psychological distress, reflected in SCL-90- R
symptom profiles; approximately one-third of the 199 men and one-half of
the 126 women in the series were also assigned psychiatric diagnoses.
Findings provided evidence suggesting that the various sexual dysfunctions
have characteristic symptom profiles; however, interpretation should be
cautious because the cause-and-effect relationship between psychological
distress and sexual dysfunctions remains complex and uncharted.
