A six-month longitudinal study led by Helle B. Krogh at the Sexology Clinic of Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark has found that mood symptoms in people newly diagnosed with bipolar disorder closely track changes in sexual desire and sexual distress. The 236 participants, aged 18 to 68, were assessed at baseline, three months and six months, with depressive and manic symptoms rated during clinic visits and daily mood logged via a smartphone app called Monsenso.
Analysis showed depressive symptoms were linked to lower desire and higher distress, with these associations persisting after adjusting for age and sex. Women generally reported lower sexual desire than men, and older participants tended to have lower desire.
Manic symptoms were associated with increased sexual desire, but there was no observed link between manic symptoms and sexual distress.
Greater day-to-day mood instability correlated with higher sexual distress, suggesting that daily emotional turbulence affects sexual well-being even outside full depressive or manic episodes.
Overall, researchers found that more than 60 percent of the variation in sexual desire and distress was due to individual differences between people, indicating sexuality is highly personalised and influenced by factors beyond the bipolar diagnosis.
Quality of life, assessed with a World Health Organization instrument, was related to lower sexual distress but showed no statistical link to sexual desire.
Limitations include the observational design, which means researchers cannot prove causation; the study excluded patients taking antidepressants known to cause sexual side effects; many participants were in partial or full remission, potentially resulting in better baseline sexual functioning; and there was attrition, with some patients dropping out before six months.
Given the findings, healthcare professionals are encouraged to routinely ask about sexual health to help patients manage distress during mood episodes and periods of relative stability.
The study, “The impact of affective symptoms and mood instability on sexual desire and sexual distress in newly diagnosed bipolar disorder: a longitudinal study,” was authored by Helle B. Krogh, Caroline Fussing Bruun, Jeff Zarp, Maria Faurholt-Jepsen, Lars Vedel Kessing, Annamaria Giraldi, and Maj Vinberg.
