Psychiatric morbidity is frequently undetected in patients with erectile dysfunction

We investigated the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in patients with erectile dysfunction (ED).

Consecutive patients who attended an andrology outpatient clinic complaining of ED were recruited for study purposes. ED severity was evaluated by the International Index of Erectile Function erectile function domain score. The psychiatric diagnosis was established by a semistructured clinical interview as well as by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview 5 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV. The Beck Depression Inventory was also incorporated as a complementary tool to assess depressive symptom severity.

The study included 103 patients 20 to 76 years old (mean age +/- SD 47.06 +/- 14.78) with ED. Most patients were classified with moderate and severe ED (26.2% and 44.7%, respectively). A detectable psychiatric condition was present in 63.1% of the patients, including depressive disorders in 25.2%, anxiety disorders in 11.7%, depression-anxiety comorbidity in 6.8% and personality disorders in 5.8%. A positive psychiatric anamnesis was identified in 41 cases, while 24 were newly diagnosed. No significant association was found between the duration and severity of ED, and psychiatric morbidity or the severity of depressive symptoms (p > 0.05). A positive association was found between the severity of depressive symptoms and the patient tendency to discuss the problem with their partner (p < 0.01).

Psychiatric morbidity is highly prevalent in patients with ED, potentially affecting treatment outcome. Because lifetime psychological problems were reported by more than half of the patients, a psychosocial history seems mandatory. Partner support appeared to have a significant role in the patient psychological state.