“A New View of Women's Sexual Problems”—A Family Physician's Response

Abstract

Sexual problems arise frequently in women's lives and are intertwined with all aspects of their social, family, personal, and psychological situations. In the past, physicians have under-recognized or medicalized patients' sexual problems. Moreover, family physicians have been limited to the DSM-IV taxonomy of sexual dysfunction to describe patients' sexual problems. This classification system does not address the need for a patient-centered model, nor does it fit with the biopsychosocial approach of family medicine. In contrast, “The New View of Women's Sexual Problems” is compatible with the biopsychosocial approach because it places the woman and her experience at the center of interest. The “New View” would be strengthened by explicit recognition of the influence of the clinician's own perspective and experience on the process of diagnosis and treatment.