Normalization of sexual behaviour in a female with dementia after treatment with cyproterone

✍ Scribed by Dr Miguel Nadal; Swante Allgulander

• Book ID: 102229352
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1993
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 210 KB
• Volume: 8
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0885-6230
• DOI: 10.1002/gps.930080311

✦ Synopsis

Compulsive behaviours can be a feature of different psychiatric diseases but overt hypersexuality is nevertheless a rare condition in females, especially in the absence of endocrinological alterations. We present here the case of a 49-year-old female who, after several confusional episodes, required hospitalization first at the Psychiatry Clinic and later on at the Psychogeriatric Unit when the diagnosis of dementia of Pick's type was suspected, and who developed an overt hypersexuality manifested in the form of open and frequent masturbations. Due to the failure of conventional therapy, the antiandrogen agent cyproterone acetate was used resulting in a normalization of her sexual behaviour. No main side-effects could be observed and the drug was withdrawn after a few months of treatment. In our opinion, the antiandrogen cyproterone should be considered in similar cases when other therapies fail.

KEY woms-Dementia, hypersexuality, androgens, cyproterone, sexual aberrations.