Mental illnesses in older age, particularly depression, anxiety disorders and somatoform disorders, strongly correlate with sexual functional disorders, and the interactions between mental health and sexuality require an interdisciplinary treatment approach with sexual health systematically integrated into geriatric psychiatric care.
Key Findings
Results
Mental illnesses in older age, particularly depression, anxiety disorders, and somatoform disorders, strongly correlate with sexual functional disorders.
The study was based on a selective literature search for frequent psychiatric disorders in older age and their effects on sexual health.
Disorder patterns, symptoms, and side effects of psychopharmacotherapy were all considered in the analysis.
The correlation was identified across multiple psychiatric diagnoses common in older populations.
Results
Antidepressants and antipsychotics frequently contribute to sexual dysfunction in older patients.
Psychopharmacological side effects were specifically analyzed as part of the literature review.
Sexual dysfunction caused by these medications can negatively affect medication adherence.
This creates a clinical challenge where treatment of mental illness may worsen sexual health outcomes.
Results
Sexual dissatisfaction increases the risk of depressive symptoms, anxiety, and overall mental distress in older people.
Studies reviewed showed a bidirectional relationship between sexual dysfunction and mental health.
Sexual dysfunctions are considered risk factors for mental distress, not merely consequences of it.
This reciprocal relationship was a central focus of the biopsychosocial analysis.
Results
Social integration and positive age-related sexual beliefs are protective factors for both mental and sexual health in older adults.
These factors were identified through the selective literature review as mitigating risks.
Both psychosocial and attitudinal variables were found to play a role in health outcomes.
The finding highlights non-pharmacological factors relevant to clinical care of older patients.
Background
The sexuality of older people is often overlooked or stigmatized despite playing a central role in well-being.
The growing proportion of aging persons in the population is accompanied by an increase in mental and neurological disorders.
Sexual health of older patients is not systematically integrated into geriatric psychiatric care.
The authors note this gap exists despite evidence of sexuality's importance to overall well-being in older age.
Conclusions
An interdisciplinary treatment approach is required to address the interactions between mental health and sexuality in older patients.
The study concludes that sexual health of older patients must be systematically integrated into geriatric psychiatric care.
The biopsychosocial framework was used to examine the reciprocal relationship between mental health and sexuality.
The recommendation reflects the complexity of mutual influences between psychiatric disorders, psychopharmacotherapy, and sexual function.
What This Means
This research reviews the relationship between mental health problems and sexual health in older adults, a topic that is frequently ignored or treated as taboo. The authors searched existing scientific literature on common psychiatric conditions in older people — such as depression, anxiety, and somatoform disorders — and found that these conditions are strongly linked to sexual problems. Importantly, the relationship goes both ways: mental illness can cause sexual dysfunction, and sexual dissatisfaction can in turn worsen mental health, increasing the risk of depression and anxiety.
The review also highlights that medications commonly used to treat mental illness, such as antidepressants and antipsychotics, frequently cause sexual side effects. This creates a difficult cycle: the treatment intended to improve mental health may itself cause sexual problems, which can then lead patients to stop taking their medication. The researchers also found that having strong social connections and holding positive attitudes about sex in older age can serve as protective factors for both mental and sexual health.
This research suggests that healthcare providers working with older adults should routinely ask about and address sexual health as part of mental health care, rather than treating it as a separate or unimportant issue. The authors call for an interdisciplinary approach that brings together different types of healthcare professionals to address both mental and sexual health together, recognizing that the two are deeply interconnected in older populations.
Sträter B, Schröck F. (2025). [Mental diseases and sexual health in old age and their reciprocal influence].. Zeitschrift fur Gerontologie und Geriatrie. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00391-025-02463-z