Presence of childhood abuse is considered a psychological factor in etiology of anxiety disorders. Our aim was to study the effects of childhood/adolescence abuse and suicidal/self-mutilative behaviour on sexual functions in patients diagnosed with panic disorder.

Subjects were 81 patients treated for panic disorder at the psychiatric outpatient clinic of Sisli Etfal Research and Training Hospital, Istanbul, whose diagnoses were established using the SCID-I. Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale (ASEX) were administered to the subjects. A score of 1 is the most favorable score in ASEX while a score of 6 is the least.

71.6% (n=58)of the subjects were female, 28.4%(n=23) of the subjects were male and the average age was 35.8±11.6. Those with history of childhood and adolescence violence/neglect [48% (n=39)] had sexual desire, stimulation, orgasm, orgasm satisfaction and ASEX total points; those with a history of sexual harrasment/rape [9.9% (n=8)] had sexual arousel, orgasm and ASEX total points: and those with a history of attempted suicide/self mutiation [19.8% (n=18)] had sexual desire, orgasm and orgasm satisfaction points which differed to a stastistically significant degree.

This study revealed that a history of abuse and suicide/self mutilation effects phases of sexual function in panic disorder. It is important to question sexual function in panic disorder and to question childhood abuse in those cases where there is sexual disfunction. A history of attempted suicide and self mutilation adversely effects sexual functions in panic disorder.