Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36735118›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of bipolar disorders2023

Bipolar disorder and sexuality: a preliminary qualitative pilot study.

Helle B Krogh, Maj Vinberg, Gitte Lee Mortensen, Ditte Skakke, Dorthe Nielsen, Annamaria Giraldi

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of bipolar disorders, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed
3.8field-weighted citation impact, top 6% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 17 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. The impact of reproductive events on women with severe mental illness: we need more research and professional awareness.World psychiatry : official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) · 2025
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Review
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Navigating Hypersexuality in Bipolar: Insights from a Corpus-Assisted Discourse Analysis of Reddit Posts.Inquiry : a journal of medical care organization, provision and financing
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Helle B KroghSexological Clinic, Mental Health Center Copenhagen, Copenhagen University Hospital, Ole Maaloes 14, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark. helle.brandborg.krogh@regionh.dk.
Maj VinbergMental Health Center, Northern Zealand, Copenhagen University Hospital, Mental Health Services CPH, Hillerød, Denmark.
Gitte Lee MortensenAnthroConsult, Aarhus, Denmark.
Ditte SkakkeSexological Clinic, Mental Health Center Copenhagen, Copenhagen University Hospital, Ole Maaloes 14, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Dorthe NielsenOdense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.
Annamaria GiraldiSexological Clinic, Mental Health Center Copenhagen, Copenhagen University Hospital, Ole Maaloes 14, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Copenhagen University Hospital · DKOdense University Hospital · DKUniversity of Copenhagen · DK

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIndividuals with mental health disorders have a higher risk of sexual problems impacting intimate relations and quality of life. For individuals with bipolar disorder (BD) the mood shifts might to a particular degree affect their sexual function with possible hypersexual interest during manic episodes and low sexual interest during depressive episodes. The diagnosis is often given in late adolescence, which may impact sexual identity and development. Only a few studies have looked at BD and sexual life, with no qualitative research on the topic. We conducted a qualitative pilot study exploring sexuality in connection to mood swings in five participants with BD.

resultsThematic content analysis revealed five themes: (1) sexual drive and impulses, (2) sexual behavior, (3) thoughts and feelings in relation to sexual issues, (4) intimate relationships, and (5) sexuality and identity. During manic episodes the participants described having a higher sexual drive, leading for some to more sexual interactions. During depressed episodes, the sexual drive in the three female participants was low, however, in the two men, rather than a reduced sexual drive, a more self-destructive way of engaging in sex prevailed. The sexual outgoing behavior during manic phases was described as joyful, with no feelings of shame connected to it. However, the shifts in sexual drive connected to mood shifts affected the participants' relationships negatively. Further, all the participants described having outgoing sexual behavior in their youth.

conclusionsOverall, changes in sexual drive may act as a trigger or early warning symptoms of new episodes, pinpointing the clinical relevance of addressing sexuality in individuals with BD. In general, sexual drive followed affective episodes. However, during depressive episodes sex could be, instead of reduced drive, associated with negative feelings. All participants described having an outgoing sexual behavior in their youth before the onset of BD, which might be essential to consider if there is a clinical suspension of BD in an individual.

Indexed as

Bipolar disorderHypersexualityQualitative researchSexual dysfunctionSexual functionSexuality

Identifiers

PMID36735118
PMCPMC9898481
OpenAlexW4319062887

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.