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The Control of Deviant Sexual Behaviour by Drugs

I. Behavioural changes following Oestrogens and Anti-Androgens

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

John Bancroft
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, The Warneford Hospital, Oxford, OX3 7JX
Gavin Tennent*
Affiliation:
Special Hospitals Reseach Unit
Kypros Loucas
Affiliation:
Broadmoor Hospital, Crowthorne, Berks
James Cass
Affiliation:
Broadmoor Hospital, Crowthorne, Berks
*
Now Medical Director, St. Brendan's Hospital, Bermuda.

Extract

Drugs have been used to control deviant sexual behaviour in recidivist sexual offenders for over 20 years. Oestrogens have been most widely used (Golla and Hodge, 1949; Whittaker, 1959; Scott, 1964) and generally have been considered to be effective though limited by their side effects, in particular nausea, vomiting and feminization. A further uncommon but grave complication has been carcinoma of the breast (Symmers, 1968). Recently, oestradiol implants have been used (Field and Williams, 1970). A similar libido-reducing effect has been claimed with some tranquillizers, notably thioridazine (Litkey and Feniczy, 1967; Bartholomew, 1964), fluphenazine enanthate (Bartholomew, 1964) and a new butyrophenone, benperidol (Sterkmans and Geerts, 1966; Field, 1973). Progestogens have been recognized for some time as having libido reducing qualities in both males and females (Heller et al., 1958; Kupperman, 1963; Money, 1970). The use of medroxyprogesterone in treating sexual deviants has recently been reported (Money, 1970); it was found not only to be effective in controlling behaviour but also to produce marked reduction in circulating androgen. Currently, much interest is being shown in the use of an anti-androgen, cyproterone acetate, for this purpose (Laschet and Laschet, 1969; Briggs and Briggs, 1971; Cooper et al., 1972).

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1974 

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Footnotes

A synopsis of this paper was published in the July 1974 Journal.

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