Distress, disease, desire: perspectives on the medicalisation of premature ejaculation.
The discovery that certain selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors delay ejaculation and the later development and approval of dapoxetine as an on-demand treatment option has led to a dramatic increase in medical interest in premature ejaculation. This paper analyses the diagnostic criteria and the discussion within the medical community about suitable treatments against the backdrop of theories of science, sex and gender. Our conclusion is that the diagnosis itself and the suggested treatments contribute to normative models of sexual conduct and therefore reinforce the norms that cause patients' distress over ejaculating 'too soon'.
Institute for History, Theory and Ethics in Medicine, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany.
Ylva
Y
Söderfeldt
Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden.
Adam
A
Droppe
Institute for History, Theory and Ethics in Medicine, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany.
Tim
T
Ohnhäuser
D001596:Benzylamines / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004542:Ejaculation / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D062528:Medicalization / Q000941:ethics; D009281:Naphthalenes / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D061686:Premature Ejaculation / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology*
D001596:Benzylamines; D009281:Naphthalenes; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors; C080598:dapoxetine
Concept of Health; Drugs and Drug Industry; Sexuality/Gender