Psychosexual Disorders in Bangladesh: From Bench to Community

Psychosexual disorders are common but covert issue in Bangladesh. Due to the lack of community study focusing on these disorders, precise burden of these disorders is yet to be estimated in the country. Various physical and psychiatric disorders are reported both as risk factors and co-morbidities of psychosexual problems. Socio-culture environment, religious proscriptions, poor health literacy are also contributing factors. Besides male and female sexual dysfunctions, dhat syndrome is a common phenomenon in the country. Gender dysphoria, paraphilia, hypersexuality, and pornography addiction are also prevalent, though there is a dearth of scientific researches on these topics. The services for the management of psychosexual disorders are insufficient and uncoordinated, though recently few dedicated psycho-sexual clinics have been established. Due to the lack of awareness and knowledge, help-seeking behavior for these disorders is poor and inappropriate. For raising awareness and capacity building, South Asian Society for Sexual Medicine has become a prominent organization in Bangladesh. Researchers are also becoming interested in exploring various aspects of psychosexual functions and disorders recently. This chapter discusses various aspects of psychosexual disorders and recommendations for strengthening health-care services for these disorders in the country.