Management of inappropriate sexual behaviors in dementia: a literature review

Background: This paper reviews published literature on the pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment of inappropriate sexual behavior in dementia. Methods: A literature search of Psychinfo and Cochrane databases was performed and data from case reports and case series were analyzed. Results: No randomized controlled trials exist for any treatment of sexual disinhibition in dementia and there are no trials comparing different pharmacological agents. Case reports and case series report a wide range of pharmacotherapies as efficacious in the treatment of inappropriate sexual behaviors in dementia. There is only one case report of non-pharmacological strategies to manage inappropriate sexual behavior. Conclusions: Inappropriate sexual behaviors in dementia can be difficult to treat. Frequently, multiple psychoactive medications are used and many pharmacotherapies are trialed prior to finding an effective agent. More research is needed to clarify the usefulness of these medications and to identify non-pharmacological strategies to prevent unnecessary use of medications.