Schizophrenia and sexuality: a review and a report of twelve unusual cases--part I

Abstract

This review brings together the considerable, scattered literature on the sexuality of the schizophrenic. It encompasses the reports pertaining not only to the overt sexual behavior of schizophrenics but also their subjective experience including various delusions and hallucinations related to sexuality. Also reviewed are the sexual side effects of antipsychotic medication and sexual crimes and perversions occurring among individuals suffering from schizophrenia. The effectiveness of various treatment modalitites, including sex therapy, in controlling the bizarre sexual behavior that often accompanies schizophrenia, is also considered. Twelve unusual cases are also briefly reported. A greater awareness of these "sexual" symptoms of schizophrenia may be utilized to sharpen diagnostic sensitivity to the incipient forms of the disorder, to estimate prognosis in a given case, and to better understand some sexual crimes. In certain cases, such knowledge may alter the choice of antipsychotic medication.