Introduction/Objectives:

The influence of many psychiatric diseases on privacy (especially on sexuality and partnership) is still quite unexplored. So far, studies of psychiatric patients, have mainly dealt with sexual transmitted diseases and sexual dysfunctions in association with psychotropic drugs. There are studies concerning sexual satisfaction in patients suffering from different kinds of psychiatric diseases, but bipolar patients were little represented. The few existing data found an accumulation of sexual dysfunction, a lower frequency of sexual contacts and a decreased self-confidence in bipolar patients and also their partners reported on lower sexual and partnership satisfaction (Raja and Azzoni, 2003; Lam D., 2005). As sexual and partnership satisfaction are important parameters for quality of life, we look forward to use the study's results to offer problem-specific therapies but also for helping patients and their families to accept and integrate illness-related problems in relationship and sexuality.

Participants, Materials/Methods:

35 men and women with a diagnosed bipolar affective disorder were recruited from the Psychiatric department, University Clinic Graz. Our comparison group consists of the same amount of people without mental illness. After a medical rating concerning the manic or depressive severity the following materials were used:

1) Personal interview

2) BDI-Becks Depression Inventory (1961)

3) Kurzfragebogen zur sozialen Erwünschtheit (Stoiber, 1999 oder 2001?)

4) FbeK-Fragebogen zur Beurteilung des eigenen Körpers (Strauß and Richter-Appelt, 1996)

5) TSST-Tubinger Skalen zur Sexualtherapie (Zimmer, 1989)

6) ZIP-Zufriedenheit in der Partnerschaft (Hassebrauck, 1991)

Results:

The following aspects have been examined:

1) Sexual satisfaction in general

2) Frequency of serious relationships

3) Partnership problems while steady relationships

4) Body perception

Conclusions:

As the findings of our study are not completed yet, we just can report on the tendency of lower sexual and partnership satisfaction in patients with bipolar affective disorder in comparison to our population without mental diseases. We expect the definite results within the next weeks and are looking forward to present them at the congress.