How recognized is PSSD today?
Controlled Vocabularies
- SNOMED, a standardized medical terminology system used globally to record, exchange, and analyze clinical data has a diagnostic code for Persistent Sexual Dysfunction Following the Withdrawal of SSRIs.
- Orphanet, a European-based database and resource portal dedicated to rare diseases, has a designated code for PSSD.
- MedDRA, a standardized medical terminology used globally to classify and code adverse events, diseases, and medical product information, has a code for PSSD.
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Authoritative Reference
- The 2024 edition of The Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines discusses PSSD on page 98 and 155.
- Oxford Academic's Journal of Sexual Medicine, a peer-reviewed medical journal published on behalf of the International Society for Sexual Medicine (ISSM), acknowledged PSSD.
- The BNF (British National Formulary) , a major UK medical reference, acknowledges the possibility of persistent sexual dysfunction post discontinuation in multiple SSRI/SNRI’s. Example
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Regulatory Agencies
- Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), Australia’s medical regulatory authority, issued a safety update advising that all SSRIs and SNRIs are to include warnings about persistent sexual dysfunction after stopping the medication.
- The European Medicines Agency (EMA), the EU’s medical regulatory authority, recommended that drug manufacturers update the labels of all SSRIs/SNRIs to include that sexual dysfunction can be long-lasting in some patients post-discontinuation.
- Health Canada recommends that all healthcare professionals inform patients about the risk of PSSD
- The Hong Kong Department of Health released a warning about PSSD to local healthcare professionals in 2021.
- The National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) of Malaysia recognizes PSSD.
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Learned Societies
- The Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) now mentions PSSD on its
antidepressant guidance page, under the “Do antidepressants have side effects?” tab.
- The following SSRI medications have been issued with informational leaflets and/or labels containing warnings about post-discontinuation sexual side effects in the US or UK:
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International Awareness
PSSD has been covered by many major news outlets & podcasts across the world, including the BBC, NPR, NYT, Global BC, The Guardian, and many more. Oftentimes when articles are released, the community grows larger due to PSSD patients finally being able to put a name to their symptoms.
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Current Research
The primary researcher is Prof. Roberto Melcangi, who heads the Neuroendocrinology Unit of the Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences at the University of Milano, Italy. He gets his funding directly from PSSD patients, who have collectively donated hundreds of thousands of dollars since the inception of the PSSD Network’s charity in early 2023. The Network has also recently launched a U.S based charity in 2026, with plans to start a UK charity as well.
In conjunction with Melcangi, Drs. Antonei Csoka (Howard University) and Ashley Monks (University of Toronto) have also begun researching PSSD.
The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health in Australia, the largest brain research center in the southern hemisphere, has also now begun researching PSSD.
All of the research to date on PSSD can be found here.
Diagnostic criteria for PSSD can be found here
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Why haven’t most people heard of this before?
The study Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction: barriers to quantifying incidence and prevalence reflects the importance of recognizing how skepticism of this condition perpetuates a cycle of neglect. Patients who report PSSD are frequently dismissed, with their symptoms attributed to psychological factors, leading to underreporting and a lack of medical documentation. This, in turn, creates significant barriers to research, as studies struggle with small sample sizes, selection bias, and inconsistent methodologies; further fueling doubt about the condition's legitimacy. Many patients, feeling invalidated and embarrassed by the deeply personal nature of their symptoms, hesitate to speak out, further reducing awareness and available data. The resulting lack of education on PSSD within the medical community leaves professionals unaware of its existence, limiting both research funding and treatment development. As long as this cycle continues, the medical field remains stuck in a state of inaction, reinforcing its own skepticism, and ensuring that evidence remains scarce.