title: Comparison of Sexual Experience and Behavior between Bipolar Outpatients and Outpatients without Mood Disorders.
abstract: Sexual behavior over the past year of 32 outpatients with Bipolar disorder is compared to that of 44 Comparison patients that had never had an episode of affective illness. Subjects were outpatients treated with drugs and psychotherapy in routine office practice. Differences in sexual behavior between the two groups as a whole were minimal, but meaningful differences emerged when subgroups were compared. Compared to control men, Bipolar men had had more partners in the last year and were more likely to have had sex without condoms. Compared to Bipolar females, Bipolar males had more sex partners, had more sex with strangers, and were more likely to have engaged in homosexual behavior. Even so, some patients in the Comparison group also had engaged in risky sexual behavior. They had failed to use condoms and had had sex with strangers and prostitutes during the previous year.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Downey
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical School, New York, NY 10021, USA.
authors.forename: Richard C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Friedman
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Carson Tahoe Health System, Carson City, NV 89701, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Haase
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10021, USA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Goldenberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
authors.forename: Robinette
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.affiliation: Behavioral Health and Recovery Services, San Mateo County Psychiatric Department, San Mateo, CA 94403, USA.
authors.forename: Sidney
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Edsall