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Brief ReportFull Access

Sexual Functioning in Chronically Depressed Patients Treated With SSRI Antidepressants: A Pilot Study

Published Online:1 Dec 1997https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.154.12.1757

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This prospective study assessed changes in depression and sexual functioning in chronically depressed men and women during treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). METHOD: Twenty-five subjects (14 women, 11 men) with DSM-III-R dysthymia, chronic major depression, or double depression were administered the Arizona Sexual Experience Scale and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale before and after 6 weeks of treatment with sertraline or paroxetine. RESULTS: As measured by scores on the Arizona Sexual Experience Scale, desire, psychological arousal, and overall sexual functioning significantly improved in women; orgasm delay, orgasm satisfaction, and overall sexual functioning significantly worsened in men. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that after SSRI treatment, difficulties with desire and psychological arousal in depressed women tend to remit, whereas in men orgasmic dysfunction appears to be a side effect of medication. (Am J Psychiatry 1997; 154:1757–1759)