Profile of adult patients attending a marriage and sex clinic in India.

BACKGROUND: Sexual disorders, which are usually influenced by multiple factors, are very prevalent across the globe but there are few studies which provide the pattern of help-seeking behavior in the Indian population. AIMS: The study aims to present the pattern of sexual dysfunction in the patients attending a marriage and sex clinic from 1979 to 2005. METHOD: Details are obtained from the records of the patients who attended the clinic. In accordance with the change in diagnostic classification, the data are presented: ICD-IX (for period 1979-1992) and ICD-X (for period 1993-2005). RESULTS: Out of a total of 1,242 patients, 566 patients attended the clinic during 1979 to 1992, and 676 patients during 1993 to 2005. More than half of the clinic population during the period was aged 20-29 years. Premature ejaculation is the most common complaint and the most commonly diagnosed clinical entity, followed by male erectile problems and culturally induced sexual behaviors such as dhat syndrome. CONCLUSION: Being more educated, married and from an urban background promotes help-seeking in tertiary care clinics but these findings may be due to selection bias. Sexual activity continues to be strongly influenced by culturally held beliefs. This influence is more troublesome for young and unmarried persons who have not changed over the period.

Major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder: do the sexual dysfunctions differ?

OBJECTIVES: Major depressive disorder (MDD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) are known to have significant impact on sexual functioning. They have been studied individually. Therefore, this study was planned to compare the sexual dysfunction between MDD, OCD, and GAD with healthy subjects as controls. METHOD: Four groups (MDD, OCD, GAD, and healthy subjects), matched for age, gender, marital status, and education status were identified by using the Psychiatric Diagnostic Screening Questionnaire. Subjects in these groups were assessed for absence of any major physical and psychiatric disorders. MDD, OCD, and GAD were rated for severity of illness by using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale, and Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety, respectively. Subjects were evaluated with the Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale for sexual dysfunction, which was defined as either a score of ≥ 5 on any item or a total score of ≥ 17. Suitable statistical analysis was used to interpret the results. The study was conducted from May 2006 through July 2007. RESULTS: Fifty patients in each group were selected. The rate of sexual dysfunction was 30% in healthy controls, 76% in MDD subjects, 50% in OCD subjects, and 64% in GAD subjects. Low desire was the most commonly reported dysfunction among all the categories (p < .001). No particular dysfunction was associated with the 4 categories under study. Severity of illness did not correlate with the severity of sexual dysfunction. CONCLUSION: Persons with MDD have more sexual dysfunction than those with OCD and GAD. These disorders had a pervasive affect on sexual functioning of the individuals.