title: Is Major Depression a Risk for Bladder, Bowel, and Sexual Dysfunction?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although major depression may accompany bladder, bowel and sexual (pelvic organs) dysfunction, no prospective, controlled surveys have been available. The aim of the present study was to study the risk of pelvic organ dysfunction in major depression.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred and twenty-four depression patients in the psychiatry clinic (97 men, 127 women; average age 42 years; 128 drug-naÏve, 96 medicated) and 391 age-matched local individuals who were undergoing an annual health survey underwent a questionnaire devised for neurologic and psychiatric cohorts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with control, in the drug-naÏve group the frequency of dysfunction was significantly higher for urinary urgency (20.9% of the women, 25.9% of the men, P < 0.01), urinary incontinence (9.1%, women), retardation in initiating urination (13.1%, men); constipation (23.8%, 14.8%), diarrhea (20.3%, 21.8%); decrease in libido (42%, men), sexual intercourse (70.7%, 78.7%) orgasm (63.6%, 65.0%), erection (92.7% of the men); and quality of life indices. No difference was found in the frequency of all three items between the drug-naÏve group and the medicated group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of the present study suggest that major depression is a risk for all bladder, bowel and sexual dysfunction, and it significantly worsens quality of life in patients. This finding presumably reflects that pelvic organ function is under emotional control. Amelioration of bladder, bowel, and sexual dysfunction is therefore an important target to treat patients with major depression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Chiba University, Chiba, JapanDivision of Neurology, Department of Internal Medicine, Sakura Medical Center, Toho University, Sakura, JapanDepartment of Psychiatry, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Chiba University, Chiba, JapanDivision of Neurology, Department of Internal Medicine, Sakura Medical Center, Toho University, Sakura, JapanDepartment of Psychiatry, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryuji
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sakakibara
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Chiba University, Chiba, JapanDivision of Neurology, Department of Internal Medicine, Sakura Medical Center, Toho University, Sakura, JapanDepartment of Psychiatry, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Eiji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Chiba University, Chiba, JapanDivision of Neurology, Department of Internal Medicine, Sakura Medical Center, Toho University, Sakura, JapanDepartment of Psychiatry, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Masahiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kishi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Chiba University, Chiba, JapanDivision of Neurology, Department of Internal Medicine, Sakura Medical Center, Toho University, Sakura, JapanDepartment of Psychiatry, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Yohei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsuyuzaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Chiba University, Chiba, JapanDivision of Neurology, Department of Internal Medicine, Sakura Medical Center, Toho University, Sakura, JapanDepartment of Psychiatry, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Fuyuki
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tateno
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Chiba University, Chiba, JapanDivision of Neurology, Department of Internal Medicine, Sakura Medical Center, Toho University, Sakura, JapanDepartment of Psychiatry, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Uchiyama
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Chiba University, Chiba, JapanDivision of Neurology, Department of Internal Medicine, Sakura Medical Center, Toho University, Sakura, JapanDepartment of Psychiatry, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
keywords: bladder dysfunction; constipation; major depression; serotonin; sexual dysfunction