Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7czq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T07:27:38.885Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The Sexual Adjustment of Chronic Schizophrenics: A Preliminary Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

G. C. Lyketsos
Affiliation:
University of Athens, 16 Academias Street, Athens 134, Greece
P. Sakka
Affiliation:
Dromokaition Mental Hospital, Athens, Greece
A. Maïlis
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Athens, Athens 134, Greece

Summary

A comparison of a group of chronic schizophrenics with controls showed that: the patients had significantly less interest in sex, frequency of intercourse, and satisfaction from sex; the percentage of individuals with sexual dreams and sexual fantasies did not differ between the two groups; the severity of psychopathology influenced frequency of intercourse and satisfaction from sex, and the length of institutionalization influenced interest in sex; the schizophrenics had a variety of sexual disorders, but there was a significant difference between the sexes in disturbances of thought and perception; and, significantly more male schizophrenics, in comparison with females, had sexual dysfunction associated with pharmacotherapy, but feminization in the males was far from predominant.

The patients' sexual disorders are not disturbing to the social life of the open mental hospital or the community surrounding it.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © 1983 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Akhtar, A. & Thomson, A. (1980) Schizophrenia and sexuality. A review and a report of twelve unusual cases. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 41, 134–9 (Part I); 41, 166–71 (Part II).Google Scholar
Burstein, A. G., Adams, R. & Chapman, L. (1974) Prognosis in schizophrenia. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 159, 137–40.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cheadle, A. J., Freeeman, H. L. & Korer, J. (1978) Chronic schizophrenic patients in the community. British Journal of Psychiatry, 132, 221–5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crow, T. J., Ferries, I. N., Johnstone, E. C., Ovens, D. G. C., Roberts, G. W., Li, Y., Bloom, S. R. & Polax, J. (1982) Neuroendocrine aspects of schizophrenia. In Neuropeptides: Basic and Clinical Aspect, (eds. Fink, G. and Whalley, L. J.). Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.Google Scholar
Henn, F. A., Herganic, M. & Vanderpearl, R. H. (1976) Forensic psychiatry: profiles of two types of sex offenders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 133, 694–6.Google ScholarPubMed
Kaplan, H. S. (1974) The New Sex Therapy. New York: Brunner-Mazel.Google Scholar
Kayton, L. & Koh, S. D. (1975) Hyponhedonia in schizophrenia. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 161, 412–20.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lyketsos, G. C. (1965) After care of chronic psychotics in a community-orientated mental hospital. Acta Neurologica et Psychiatrica Hellenica, January, 18.Google Scholar
Lyketsos, G. C. (1981) Sexual behaviour in old age of normals and psychotic patients (in Greek). Hippocrates, 9, 5, 329–34.Google Scholar
Perr, J. (1975) Legal aspects of sexual therapies. Journal of Legal Medicine, 3, 23.Google ScholarPubMed
Pfeiffer, E. & Davis, G. (1972) Determinants of sexual behaviour in middle and old age. Journal of the American Geriatric Society, 20, 151–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Taylor, F. H. (1947) Observations on some cases of exhibitionism. Journal of Mental Science, 93, 631–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Todd, J. (1978) The jealous patient. Practitioner, 220, 229–33.Google ScholarPubMed
Tsolka, K., Tongos, D., Zachariades, N. & Lyketsos, G. C. (1976) The trial of a new drug NY 4036 on chronic schizophrenics. Greek Medicine (in Greek). 45, 256–62.Google Scholar
Winokur, G., Guze, S. & Pfeiffer, E. (1959) Development and sexual factors in women: a comparison between control, neurotic and psychotic groups. American Journal of Psychiatry, 115, 1097–100.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.