Inappropriate treatment of a woman with vaginismus and social and psychiatric consequences in a traditional culture

摘要

Vaginismus is the most commonly diagnosed sexual dysfunction among Turkish women seeking sex therapy. Herein, we report a woman with vaginismus who was referred to our clinic after unsuccessful medical interventions for vaginismus. Additionally, she was physically and emotionally abused by her husband and parents in-law. Based on DSM-IV, she was diagnosed with vaginismus, post-traumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder. Sex therapy for this patient lasted for nine weeks, after that time she was able to penetrate her vagina with two of her fingers. In traditional culture, women with vaginismus are susceptible to social pressures, traumatic experiences and loss of social status as a result of sexual dysfunction.