Interventions Needed to Help Brain Injury Patients Deal with Sexual Dysfunction

Out of the many consequences of a brain injury, one of the most neglected ones is the effect the brain injury has on a person’s sex life. There are numerous effects that a brain injury can have on sexual function. A person may lose desire, and lose the ability to ejaculate or orgasm. Scientists recently reviewed existing literature that has tried to understand how sexual function is affected by brain injury, and have found that there’s definitely a need for the development of intervention strategies and techniques that brain injury patients and their spouses can make use of to deal with problems in this area.

A group of Canadian scientists recently went through 13 studies that were conducted into this issue, involving more than 1,500 patients as well as their partners and spouses. The review found that sexual function can be affected in a number of ways after brain injury. For instance, there may be physiological and psychological affects, like cognitive deficits, depression and adjustment problems that may affect a person’s libido. Besides, medical issues like the kind of medications that the person is on can also interfere with the person’s sex drive. Brain injury can have a significant effect on a person’s relationship with his partner, and this, in turn can affect their sex lives.

Sexual dysfunction is just one of the many sexual difficulties that patients with brain injury face. A severe brain injury can also cause sexual disinhibition, in which the person displays socially inappropriate sexual practices, distractions during sex, loss of interest in the act, pain in some movements or positions, lack of response in certain areas of the body to touch, and other issues.

The personal injury lawyers serving the Houston area at Schechter, Shaffer & Harris, L.L.P., Accident & Injury Lawyers represent persons who have suffered brain injury across Texas. Contact us now to schedule a free consultation.