title: Women's experiences of coping with the sexual side effects of antidepressant medication.
abstract: A growing body of evidence has highlighted the sexual side effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) medication. Whilst most of the research has focused on the prevalence and treatment of sexual difficulties, little is known about how patients cope with the SSRI-related sexual side effects. The objective of this study was to explore women's experiences of coping with the sexual side effects of SSRI medication and interpretative phenomenological analysis was employed for an in-depth exploratory study of a sample of 10 women. Four broad themes emerged which are discussed under the following headings: searching, suffering in silence, trying to resolve and accepting what is. The themes provide an insight into the different strategies used by women to cope with the sexual side effects of SSRI medication and highlight the importance of contextualising these difficulties as part of an overall approach to improve the management and treatment of SSRI-related sexual side effects.
authors.affiliation: a School of Human, Health and Social Sciences , Central Queensland University , Bundaberg , Australia.
authors.forename: Cathy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: O'Mullan
authors.forename: Maryanne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Doherty
authors.forename: Rosemary
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Coates
authors.forename: P J Matt
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Tilley
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003863:Depression / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors
keywords: SSRI; coping strategies; females; qualitative; sexual side effects