Impairment of Sexual Desire in Treatment-Resistant Depression: Prevalence and Correlates

Abstract

Objective: To assess sexual desire in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Methods: Baseline data were analyzed from an ongoing cohort study at an outpatient clinic specializing in TRD treatment in Brazil. The cohort comprised consecutive patients with the diagnosis of TRD who sought treatment at this center between November 2015 and January 2021. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) genital symptoms item (item 14) was used as a proxy to assess sexual desire. Results: Sixty-five participants with TRD were included. There was sexual desire impairment in 67.7% of patients. Men (87.5%) were more affected than women (61.2%), and this difference was statistically significant (P = .05). Depression severity was associated with greater complaints of this aspect of sexual function (P < .01). Conclusions: Participants with TRD had a high prevalence of sexual desire impairment, which was associated with greater depressive symptom severity and male sex. The findings suggest that health care professionals should systematically assess sexual desire in patients with TRD in daily clinical practice. Further longitudinal studies are needed in larger samples using specific instruments for assessing sexual dysfunction and comparing TRD and non-TRD populations