ABSTRACT

It was aimed to investigate how sexual function was affected in subjects with generalized anxiety disorder and which areas were affected when the comorbidity of depression was added. Sixty male subjects who admitted to the Psychiatry Clinics of Gulhane Military Medical Faculty and diagnosed to have generalized anxiety disorder were included in the study. Golombok Rust Invertory of Sexual Satisfaction (GRISS) and Hamilton anxiety and depression evaluating scales were performed to assess the sexual areas of the subjects and severity of the disease, respectively. Forty one and 19 cases were diagnosed to have generalized anxiety disorder and generalized anxiety disorder with depressive disorder comorbidity, respectively. GRISS total scores were significantly higher in 100% of the group with depressive disorder comorbidity. There were elevations in non-sensuality (78.9%), impotence (73.7%), infrequency and coordination (63.2%) subscales of GRISS in this group. Maximum elevation was found in the premature ejaculation subscale in cases with generalized anxiety disorder without comorbidity. There were significant differences between the two groups with respect to infrequency, non-sensuality, impotence subscales and reverted total scores of GRISS. High rates of sexual dysfunction were detected in cases with generalized anxiety disorder in the period before treatment, and a difference was detected between anxiety and sorrow regarding sexuality.

Keywords: Sexual dysfunction, depression, generalized anxiety disorder