Aripiprazole for the Treatment of Inappropriate Sexual Behavior: Case Report of an Alzheimer's Disease Patient Known as Heterosexual with Recently Shifted Sexual Orientation to Same Gender.

Abstract

Although inappropriate sexual behavior in dementia is not common, it can be extremely troublesome for healthcare professionals and caregivers as well as patients themselves. There is paucity of data in the literature for the management of these behaviors, but the limited available data suggest efficiency of some commonly used treatment modalities. Herein, we present a 74-year old Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patient, known to be heterosexual throughout her past life, presenting with a recent display of same-sex inappropriate sexual behavior six years after the initial diagnosis of her disease. This new clinical picture of hypersexuality responded well to aripiprazole and her symptoms gradually diminished and eventually disappeared after onset of medication. This report also constitutes the first reported case of an AD patient in the published literature presenting with hypersexuality of shifted sexual orientation during the course of the disease.