Imperial College London
Alternate

Professor Robin Carhart-Harris

Faculty of Medicine, Department of Brain Sciences

Visiting Professor
 
 
 
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Contact

 

+44 (0)20 7594 7992r.carhart-harris

 
 
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Assistant

 

Miss Bruna Cunha +44 (0)20 7594 7992

 
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Location

 

Burlington DanesHammersmith Campus

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Summary

 

Publications

Citation

BibTex format

@article{Barba:2024:10.1038/s41598-023-49817-4,
author = {Barba, T and Kettner, H and Radu, C and Peill, J and Roseman, L and Nutt, D and Erritzoe, D and Carhart-Harris, R and Cunha, B},
doi = {10.1038/s41598-023-49817-4},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
title = {Psychedelics and sexual functioning: a mixed-methods study},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-49817-4},
volume = {14},
year = {2024}
}
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RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)

TY  - JOUR
AB  - Do psychedelics affect sexual functioning postacutely? Anecdotal and qualitative evidence suggests they do, but this has never been formally tested. While sexual functioning and satisfaction are generally regarded as an important aspect of human wellbeing, sexual dysfunction is a common symptom of mental health disorders. It is also a common side effect of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a first line treatment for depression. The aim of the present paper was to investigate the post-acute effects of psychedelics on self-reported sexual functioning, combining data from two independent studies, one large and naturalistic and the other a smaller but controlled clinical trial. Naturalistic use of psychedelics was associated with improvements in several facets of sexual functioning and satisfaction, including improved pleasure and communication during sex, satisfaction with one’s partner and physical appearance. Convergent results were found in a controlled trial of psilocybin therapy versus an SSRI, escitalopram, for depression. In this trial, patients treated with psilocybin reported positive changes in sexual functioning after treatment, while patients treated with escitalopram did not. Despite focusing on different populations and settings, this is the first research study to quantitively investigate the effects of psychedelics on sexual functioning. Results imply a potential positive effect on post-acute sexual functioning and highlight the need for more research on this.
AU  - Barba,T
AU  - Kettner,H
AU  - Radu,C
AU  - Peill,J
AU  - Roseman,L
AU  - Nutt,D
AU  - Erritzoe,D
AU  - Carhart-Harris,R
AU  - Cunha,B
DO  - 10.1038/s41598-023-49817-4
PY  - 2024///
SN  - 2045-2322
TI  - Psychedelics and sexual functioning: a mixed-methods study
T2  - Scientific Reports
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-49817-4
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-49817-4
UR  - http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/108917
VL  - 14
ER  -
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