Sexual dysfunction may accompany PTSD

Posted on April 22, 2015

“Persons with PTSD often complain of sexual dysfunction and problems with intimacy more generally,” and there’s increasing evidence to support this association, said lead study author Rachel Yehuda in an email.

About 6 percent of men and 13 percent of women will experience PTSD at some point in their life, Yehuda and colleagues note in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. Triggers for the condition include exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury or sexual violence, as well as witnessing a loved one endure this kind of trauma.

Symptoms can include recurrent flashbacks and nightmares; instinctive avoidance of situations that might trigger a reminder of the trauma; emotions of guilt, shame, anger or feelings of alienation and disinterest in previously enjoyable activities; as well as changes in arousal and difficulties with concentration and sleep.

Until recently, sexual dysfunction has been linked to exposure to rape or sexual trauma rather than to the presence of PTSD. But in their review of recently published research on this connection, Yehuda and colleagues concluded that sexual difficulties in PTSD may occur as the brain connects the sensation of arousal to aggression instead of healthy sexual function.

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Category(s):Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) / Trauma / Complex PTSD

Source material from Free Malaysia Today