Smith's article raises a very interesting and alarming point, that mental health nurses who consistently deal with anti-psychotic drugs are not trained to educate and help patients suffering from sexual dysfunction. Even worse, they consistently avoid this topic because of embarrassment. Mental health nurses are one of the most highly trained nursing professions, and yet they are influenced by social stigma to not discuss one of the most common patient problems and side effects of their medication. When both patients and nurses are unwilling to attempt to solve the problem of sexual dysfunction as it is related to their medical dosage, the inevitable conclusion is that patients take their problems in their own hands.
Patients will often either stop taking medication completely, which damages their recovery process and severely damages any rehabilitation program they participate in. Or even worse, they take underground and illegal methods of sexual dysfunction drug obtained either online or through other channels. This second option has evidently become more and more popular within today's society. CNN reports that illegal online sales of Viagra have grown into a multi-billion dollar industry over the past five years. When individuals begin taking unprescribed medication there are severe consequences, not only is it possible that such drugs...
Moreover, the blending of both sexual dysfunction drugs and anti-psychotic drugs may have severe medical implications. When patients are unwilling to explore the medical reasons behind their impotence and possible alternatives with healthcare professionals they often do themselves a grave injustice.
The solution to this problem can be both simple and complex. Smith argues that the most immediate need is to train and educate nurses on the importance of querying about sexual dysfunction. Since nurses are the front tier communicators with patients, it is necessary that they take the initiative to establish a serious problem with sexual dysfunction. However, a real solution to the problem of sexual dysfunction and adequate treatment must occur on a societal level. Current definitions of masculinity and the pressures exerted through media influences create negative social stigma against those who suffer from a medical problem. A concerted social effort needs to occur to engage a wider understanding of sexual dysfunction as a mental and physical problem rather than a barrier to masculinity. Only when this occurs will doctors be able to fully diagnosis patients and provide adequate treatment.
Smith, S. (2005, January). Sexual Dysfunction: the Forgotten Taboo. Mental Health Nursing, 34-42.
