Will Medical Solutions to Sexual Problems Make Sexological Care and Science Obsolete?

Abstract

Developments in the field of sexology indicate a trend toward the medicalization of sexual issues which is likely to continue over the next decades. With the introduction of new pharmacological treatments, the resulting shift from the biopsychosocial model to the disease model will become increasingly accepted and solidified over the next decade. Some of this shift may be beneficial in that the healthcare needs of the patient/client may at times be better served through this route. However, concern arises when such shifts are likely to limit the meaningful choices presented to the patient and to dampen support for basic psycho-behavioral and neurophysiological sexological investigation. Such developments challenge sexologists and sex therapists to define their treatment outcomes more clearly and, relying on stronger evidence-based studies, define the critical role of the therapist in achieving these outcomes.