Grover S, Shouan A. Assessment Scales for Sexual Disorders—A Review. Journal of Psychosexual Health. 2020;2(2):121-138. doi:10.1177/2631831820919581

Assessment Scales for Sexual Disorders

List of sexual disorder interview instruments available to mental health practitioners

University of Wisconsin - Superior

The collection of references for node pertaining to Sexual Dysfunctions.

References for Sexual Dysfunctions

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Bancroft, J., Janssen, E., Strong, D., Carnes, L., Vukadinovic, Z., & Long, J. S. (2003). The relation between mood and sexuality in heterosexual men. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 32(3), 217–230.
Betchen, S. J., & Ross, J. L. (2000). Male pursuers and female distancers in couple’s therapy. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 15(1), 15–31.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1977). Toward an experimental ecology of human development. American Psychologist, 32(7), 513.
Buehler, S. (2016). What every mental health professional needs to know about sex. New York: Springer.
Buehler, S. (2018). Counseling couples before, during, and after pregnancy: Sexuality and intimacy issues. New York: Springer.
Clayton, A. H., Croft, H. A., & Handiwala, L. (2014). Antidepressants and sexual dysfunction: Mechanisms and clinical implications. Postgraduate Medicine, 126(2), 91–99.
Hatzimouratidis, K., PhD, & E. (2010, February 10). Guidelines on male sexual dysfunction: Erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation. Retrieved February 14, 2022
How I Overcame Premature Ejaculation (2022) YouTube. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm3KT6NOy94 (Accessed: December 9, 2022).
Krakowsky, Y., & Grober, E. D. (2016). Hypoactive sexual desire in men. In L. I. Lipshultz, A. W. Pastuszak, A. T. Goldstein, A. Geraldi, & M. A. Perelman (Eds.), Management of sexual dysfunction in men and women (pp. 171–187). New York: Springer Books.
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2020, June 18). Delayed ejaculation. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved February 7, 2022, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/delayed-ejaculation/symptoms-causes/syc-20371358


Best Practice Treatment Protocol: Sexual Dysfunctions in Psychopathology References

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM–5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013)

DSM V

Anastasiadis, A., Davis, A., Ghafar, M., Burchardt, M., & Shabsigh, R. (2002). The epidemiology and definition of female sexual disorders. World Journal of Urology, 20(2), 74–78. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00345-002-0272-5 

The epidemiology and definition of female sexual disorders

Laurent, S. M., &amp; Simons, A. D. (2009). Sexual dysfunction in depression and anxiety: Conceptualizing sexual dysfunction as part of an internalizing dimension. Clinical Psychology Review, 29(7), 573–585. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2009.06.007 

Sexual dysfunction in depression and anxiety: Conceptualizing sexual dysfunction as part of an internalizing dimension.

Formal Clinical Interview Instruments for Sexual Dysfunction Diagnosis

Which came first the chicken or the egg? Various depressive and anxiety disorders co-occur with sexual dysfunctions and vice versa. While one patient may be exhibiting symptoms of depression which lead to medication related sexual dysfunctions. Another patient may have a sexual disorder which lead to chronic depression. Likewise, anxieties may appear situationally with sexual relationships or be part of an underlying, chronic anxiety disorder which appears to influence sexual function.
The DSM-5 is built progressively upon an emerging framework for understanding the classification of mental disorders. Such comorbidities as sexual dysfunctions manifest as underlying dimensions of psychopathology. Diagnostics for psychopathology within this    empirical   taxonomy   show sexual dysfunctions are part of the internalizing spectrum. The internalizing spectrum of conditions are characterized by negative emotions. They are what accounts for comorbidity among the depressive and anxiety disorders. Whether a sexual dysfunction is a comorbidity or not, it is categorized into 4 categories of syndromes, with distinct symptoms such as desire disorders, or lack of sexual desire or interest in sex. Arousal disorders, the inability to become physically aroused or excited during sexual activity. Orgasm disorders when there is a delay or absence of orgasm, and pain disorders, pain during intercourse.
So, what do these syndromes, symptoms, and disorders mean for your diagnosis of a patient?  The spectrum of internalizing conditions includes sexual problems, fear, distress-based concerns, and eating pathology. The various syndromes that fall under each class are conceptually linked and with each syndrome interacting with and influencing other syndromes. This makes diagnosis of a sexual disorders all that much more complicated. Using interview instruments directly with the client and their partners may help. It is also appropriate to consult with their diagnostician, specialist, or medical doctor for records.
When interviewing the patient directly, a short easy to answer yes-no questionnaire may be appropriate. We’ll look at some examples and apply one to our case study of Allen.   An oral interview may be done as well with the patient and/or their partner. This would be beyond the intake interview of demographics data and include suspected disorder related criteria. Regardless of the type of instrument used, it must adhere to the DSM-5 and APA standards set forth for best practice reliability and validity measures.  The Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct can be found on any APA related website or books and will include a section on assessment.  For example, on the APA website there is a list of ethics for Bases for Assessments.  Psychologists base the opinions contained in their recommendations, reports, and diagnostic or evaluative statements, including forensic testimony, on information and techniques sufficient to substantiate their findings.
It is completely appropriate to ask for a patient’s medical records if the patient has completed a recent physical exam which led to a diagnosed or suspected sexual dysfunction which is now influencing their mental health. It is also appropriate to recommend a patient who is experiencing sexual dysfunction to visit a medical practitioner or specialist to receive a diagnosis to aid with their therapy goal. Mental health therapists are not medical doctors, and we need a special certification to utilize sex therapy. It is not within our scope of practice to diagnose physiological conditions. We may however treat the resulting mental health disorders related to the functional deficits related sexual disorders. Sex therapists have much greater than average knowledge about the physiological processes of sexuality. Working collaboratively with physicians, we can address the entirety of the causes of sexual concerns.
Without a sex therapy certification, a licensed professional counselor can still treat a patient with sexual dysfunctions by helping address any emotional or mental issues that are causing a patient sexual problem.


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