Clinical outcomes of a new self-help booklet for premature ejaculation

in Journal of Sexual Medicine (2012), 9

INTRODUCTION. Premature ejaculation (PE) is quite common. Although effective treatments do exist, only a few affected people consult a practitioner in order to overcome their problem. At the same time ... [more ▼]

INTRODUCTION. Premature ejaculation (PE) is quite common. Although effective treatments do exist, only a few affected people consult a practitioner in order to overcome their problem. At the same time, studies have shown that reading didactical documents about their PE problem (bibliotherapy) can be useful to men. AIM. The aim of this study was to improve the bibliotherapy approach using up to date knowledge and techniques. The expected benefits were: (1) an effective manual shorter than previous ones, (2) easier to assimilate therapeutic principles and (3) a method thereby made accessible to a broad population most of whom usually do not consult for this type of sexual problem. METHOD. A short bibliotherapy titled The Practical Guide of PE [in French] was tested among PE subjects who were diagnosed with PE according to DSM-IV-TR criteria. Assessments were made at baseline (N = 421), at 4-8 months (N = 120) and at 10-14 months (N = 79) after they read The Practical Guide. A control group of 66 subjects was left on a waiting list and was assessed two months after baseline. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES. Self-reported ejaculatory latency time, feeling of control upon ejaculation, sexual satisfaction, distress related to PE, anxiety experienced during sexual intercourse and sexual cognitions (SIQ). RESULTS. Significant improvements were found for all the self-reported parameters, both at 4-8 and at 10-14 months after the bibliotherapy. The improvements were associated with an adjustment of sexual cognitions. The response to treatment seemed better for those subjects with moderate PE. Although the severity criteria used in this study did not precisely meet the ISSM criteria for lifelong PE, they were likely related. The response did not seem to be affected by variables such as age, education or personality. CONCLUSION. Its cost/benefit ratio makes The Practical Guide a valuable therapeutic tool. [less ▲]

Clinical outcomes of a new cognitive-behaviour bibliotherapy for premature ejaculation

Conference (2010, October 08)

INTRODUCTION. Premature ejaculation (PE) is a common sexual disorder. However, only few affected people consult clinicians in order to overcome this problem. Although no definitive consensus about its ... [more ▼]

INTRODUCTION. Premature ejaculation (PE) is a common sexual disorder. However, only few affected people consult clinicians in order to overcome this problem. Although no definitive consensus about its aetiology emerges, some mechanisms of PE are now well known. This allows more precise and efficient treatments, both at pharmacological as well as cognitive-behavioural levels. Further, studies have shown that reading didactical documents about their PE problem might be useful to men. Such approach is called “bibliotherapy”. AIM. The aim of the present study was to improve the bibliotherapy approach on the basis of up to date knowledge and techniques. The expected benefits were: (1) an efficient manual shorter than previous ones, (2) therapeutic principles easier to assimilate and (3) a method thereby made accessible to a large public which usually does not consult for this type of sexual problem. METHOD. A short bibliotherapy named Practical Guide of PE [in French] was tested among 421 PE subjects (DSM-IV diagnosis criteria). Self-reported anxiety, sexual satisfaction, ejaculatory latency time, feeling of control and distress were measured: (1) at baseline, (2) at 4-8 months and (3) at 10-14 months after reading the Practical guide of PE. A control condition was composed by 67 subjects left on a waiting-list for two months after baseline. RESULTS. Significant improvements were found for all the self-reported parameters, either at 4-8 and at 10-14 months after the bibliotherapy. The improvements were associated with an adjustment of sexual cognitions (SIQ, McCormick & Jordan). The response to treatment seemed better when the severity of PE was moderate, but did not seem related to variables such as age, educational level and personality traits (TCI-R, Cloninger; STAI Y-B, Spielberger.) CONCLUSION: Its cost/benefit ratio makes the Practical Guide an ideal first line therapeutic tool. Its large diffusion might be useful in order to improve sexual health in populations [less ▲]

Caractéristiques d’un échantillon de 400 sujets souffrant d’éjaculation prématurée et réponses thérapeutiques à une bibliothérapie : résultats préliminaires

in Belgian Journal for Sexual Health (2010), 7(1), 16-19

Les outils bibliothérapeutiques : un adjuvant pour promouvoir la santé sexuelle de nos patients?

in Revue des Hôpitaux de Jour Psychiatriques et des Thérapies Institutionnelles (2010), 12

It’s known that sexual health of people with psychiatric and psychological disorders is often highly impoverished. Mental health professionals may feel helpless against these sexual difficulties, because ... [more ▼]

It’s known that sexual health of people with psychiatric and psychological disorders is often highly impoverished. Mental health professionals may feel helpless against these sexual difficulties, because of being poorly trained to treat them and lacking the means to do it. In this context, it seems important to inform patients about sexual difficulties and treatment options. Although it’s impossible to assign a sex therapist to each mental health service, it could be very useful to use bibliotherapeutic documentation to guide people with sexual difficulties in finding solutions. This mode of treatment which consists in putting information and therapeutic guidelines on writing is called « bibliotherapy ». Some bibliotherapies have already been developed and tested in the field of sexual disorders. Others, experimental, are nowadays under clinical evaluation, notably by three of the authors of the present paper. Bibliotherapy could be a helpful adjunct in improving the sexual health of dayhospital patients. [less ▲]

Evaluation d'une nouvelle bibliothérapie de l'éjaculation précoce

in Revue Francophone de Clinique Comportementale et Cognitive (2010)

The cognitive effects of anxiety on sexual arousal

in Weingarten, S.P.; Penat, H.O (Eds.) Cognitive psychology research developments (2009)

Anxiety and sexual arousal have often been considered as incompatible. Since the end of the 20th Century, however, researches have impaired theories centred on the inhibitory effect of the stress and on ... [more ▼]

Anxiety and sexual arousal have often been considered as incompatible. Since the end of the 20th Century, however, researches have impaired theories centred on the inhibitory effect of the stress and on peripheral explanations; they rather focus attention on the complexity of the relations between the two states and on cognitive mechanisms. Now sexual arousal tends to be regarded as a complex response that requires the convergent interpretation of internal and external stimuli. Anxiety may have different effects on this process, sometimes neutral, sometimes facilitating and sometimes inhibitory. On the one hand, anxiety can trigger a vegetative emotional reaction that may be associated to a concomitant erotic stimulation. Thus, anxiety facilitates the sexual response: this can be called a priming effect. This effect is regularly observed in labs, mainly among women. It likely also works in certain compulsive sexual behaviours or, more commonly, in those numerous persons that report being sexually aroused when stressed. On the other hand, anxiety can cause a massive irruption of non erotic cues in working memory. Therefore, cognitive function available for treating erotic stimuli is diminished and sexual response is impaired. This is an effect of cognitive interference. A trait called erotophobia could be regarded as a vulnerability factor to cognitive interference. Erotophobic subjects are characterized by a trend to focus upon danger-related information when they are in a sexual situation and by a higher risk of sexual dysfunction. [less ▲]

Hôpital de jour : outil de substitution dans l’alcoolo-dépendance.

in Revue des Hôpitaux de Jour Psychiatriques et des Thérapies Institutionnelles (2009), 11

Day hospital ot he Psychiatric Clinic Frères Alexiens in Henri-Chapelle (B) lies within the structure, which allows continuity of care practiced in full hospitalisation but also an important therapeutic ... [more ▼]

Day hospital ot he Psychiatric Clinic Frères Alexiens in Henri-Chapelle (B) lies within the structure, which allows continuity of care practiced in full hospitalisation but also an important therapeutic wealth. We will examine more closely the population of alcoholic patients attending the day hospital on the demographic, psychiatric (DSM IV), psychological (TCI-R and YSQ3) and social levels, then illustrate the effectiveness of it in their their taking charge. Finally, we discuss the symbolic link that represents the day hospital for these patients, which is an object of attachment tool alternative in alcoholism [less ▲]

Les apports de la pléthysmographie et de la psychologie cognitive dans la compréhension des relations entre l’anxiété et l’excitation sexuelle

in Journal de Thérapie Comportementale et Cognitive (2008), 18

For years, sexual arousal has been considered as incompatible with anxiety. Studies using plethysmographic techniques developed in the last decades have demonstrated that it is not always so. Depending on ... [more ▼]

For years, sexual arousal has been considered as incompatible with anxiety. Studies using plethysmographic techniques developed in the last decades have demonstrated that it is not always so. Depending on experimental conditions, anxiety can exert an inhibitory, neutral or facilitative effect. It’s tempting to establish a link between these observation data and concepts otherwise issued from cognitive psychology. A coherent theory can thus be inferred about the relationship between anxiety and sexual arousal. This theory can be summed up in a few major points: (1) the inhibitory effect of anxiety on sexual function would mainly be due to a cognitive interference phenomenon: the subject focuses on danger cues rather than on erotic stimuli. (2) In this case, the subject’s working memory is saturated by danger-related information, therefore cognitive function available for treating erotic stimuli is diminished and sexual response is impaired. (3) A cognitive-emotional structure called erotophobia could be regarded as a vulnerability factor to cognitive interference. (4) If he cognitive interference mechanism is not activated, anxiety tends to facilitate sexual arousal, (5) by increasing the attention on erotic cues or/and (6) by attributing the physiological correlates of anxiety to an erotic source [less ▲]

La sexologie clinique en Belgique

Conference (2006, October 07)

Le point sur la formation et la reconnaissance légale des sexologues et des sexologues cliniciens en belgique (2006)

Penile prosthesis, sexual satisfaction and representation of male erotic value

in Sexual & Relationship Therapy (2004), 19(4),

A follow-up study conducted among 39 implanted patients and 30 partners shows that subjects' satisfaction towards prosthetic-sexulaity depends on their representation of male erotic value. The less ... [more ▼]

A follow-up study conducted among 39 implanted patients and 30 partners shows that subjects' satisfaction towards prosthetic-sexulaity depends on their representation of male erotic value. The less satisfied patients are sensitive to a normative representation that associates erotic value to criteria of "sponataneity", "naturalness", "tall an non-assisted erections". Their main dissatisfaction likely derives from the insufficiency of a prosthetic solution to restore a male self-image based on such criteria. This induces a more important impact on satisfaction rates than do functional problems (e.g. difficulties in manipulating the device, unwanted deflations, uncomfortable sensations). These patients also show an attribution bias consisting in attributing erroneously the same dissatisfaction and negative attitude towards prosthetic sexuality to their partner. Therfore, in addition to surgery, a psychosexual support is necessary to modify erotic representations and to improve the communication between the partners in order to increase sexual satisfaction with prosthesis-assisted sexuality [less ▲]