Psych Vivas · Specialty psychiatry — sexual medicine interface
Erectile and ejaculatory disorders — structured clinical viva
Fellowship viva spanning PDE5 use conditions, lifelong PE, SSRI sexual effects, and couple-informed care.
On this page & tools
Target exams
Interpretation
Reveal interpretation
PDE5i "failure." Sildenafil requires sexual stimulation to work (NO–cGMP pathway) and is undermined by heavy alcohol, incorrect timing, and performance anxiety/high sexual inhibition. Re-education, alcohol reduction, and adequate trial conditions often convert "non-responders" into responders; true non-response prompts medical review and second-line urology options, not automatic prosthesis talk on visit one.[1][4][6]
Lifelong PE. Short IELT from early sexual life plus inability to delay and distress meets ISSM-style lifelong PE. Behavioural techniques and PE-directed pharmacotherapy (daily SSRI strategies or dapoxetine where licensed) are evidence-aligned; couple therapy addresses separation threat.[2][5]
Escitalopram paradox. SSRIs delay orgasm/ejaculation (useful for PE, harmful as an unplanned side-effect). Here masturbation is delayed but partnered PE persists — anxiety, rushing, and relationship threat maintain short partnered latency. Do not assume the SSRI has "fixed" PE; integrate behavioural PE work and consider whether panic regimen can be optimised without abandoning anxiety control.[3][2]
Integrated plan. (1) Medical suitability and nitrate check before any further PDE5i; teach correct use. (2) Alcohol counselling. (3) PE behavioural package and consider dedicated PE pharmacology if needed after clarifying the SSRI plan. (4) Panic/depression monitoring if changing serotonergic agents. (5) Couple session for shame and separation crisis. (6) Safety-net suicidality if separation proceeds.[2][3][6]
Key points
[1] [2] [3]References
- [1]Goldstein I, Lue TF, Padma-Nathan H, et al. Oral sildenafil in the treatment of erectile dysfunction. Sildenafil Study Group N Engl J Med, 1998.PMID 9580646
- [2]Althof SE, McMahon CG, Waldinger MD, et al. An update of the International Society of Sexual Medicine's guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of premature ejaculation (PE) J Sex Med, 2014.PMID 24848686
- [3]Montejo AL, Llorca G, Izquierdo JA, et al. Incidence of sexual dysfunction associated with antidepressant agents: a prospective multicenter study of 1022 outpatients J Clin Psychiatry, 2001.PMID 11229449
- [4]Bancroft J, Graham CA, Janssen E, Sanders SA The dual control model: current status and future directions J Sex Res, 2009.PMID 19308839
- [5]Pryor JL, Althof SE, Steidle C, et al. Efficacy and tolerability of dapoxetine in treatment of premature ejaculation: an integrated analysis of two double-blind, randomised controlled trials Lancet, 2006.PMID 16962882
- [6]Burnett AL, Nehra A, Breau RH, et al. Erectile Dysfunction: AUA Guideline J Urol, 2018.PMID 29746858