Sexual dysfunction highly prevalent in people with Schizophrenia, shows study

A recent systematic review and meta-analysis published in JAMA Psychiatry found a high prevalence of sexual dysfunction among individuals with schizophrenia, with considerable heterogeneity in associated factors. The findings also suggest that some dysfunctions may be explained by schizophrenia. The association between lower rates of dysfunction and antidepressant use suggests that treating comorbid depression could be an effective strategy to improve sexual health.

In individuals with schizophrenia, antipsychotic-induced dysfunctions are frequent but often underexplored in clinical practice. In order to fill this knowledge gap, the research aimed to synthesize the data of observational studies exploring the prevalence of sexual dysfunction in individuals with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders as well as associated factors.

A total of 72 of 1119 studies from 33 countries on 6 continents published from inception to June 2022 were included with a total of 21 076 participants with schizophrenia. The pooled global prevalence of sexual dysfunctions was 56.4% with a prevalence of 55.7% for men and 60.0% for women. The most frequent sexual dysfunction was erectile dysfunction in men followed by loss of libido in men, ejaculation dysfunction in men, orgasm dysfunction in women, and amenorrhea in women. Sexual dysfunctions were more frequent in schizophrenia vs. schizoaffective disorders, and erectile disorders were less frequent in individuals with longer illness duration. Antidepressant and mood stabilizer prescriptions were associated with lower rates of erection disorders and ejaculation disorders.

Reference: Korchia T, Achour V, Faugere M, et al. Sexual Dysfunction in Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JAMA Psychiatry. Published online September 13, 2023. DOI:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.2696