How to talk to family and friends about PSSD

Not sure how to tell your family? You can explain post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD) in a few plain sentences: it’s a condition that can last after stopping an SSRI or SNRI antidepressant, and it affects more than sex. You choose who to tell, and how much.

Saying it out loud is often harder than living with it quietly. A short script and one official sentence can make the first conversation easier, and it means the people close to you stop guessing.

The UK leaflet for Cipralex (escitalopram) says that sexual side effects have, in some cases, “continued after stopping treatment”. That line is useful when someone doubts you.

So where do you start, and what if they don’t believe you?

What is the simplest way to explain PSSD?

Start with what changed for you, then name it. Most people understand a change in how you feel faster than a medical term.

You could say:

Keep it short the first time. People can ask questions later, and you can send them our PSSD page.

PSSD isn’t only about sex, even though the name says so. The criteria proposed in 2022 put a lasting change in genital sensation, often numbness, at its core. They also describe emotional numbing, problems with cognition and changes in other senses. Those are often the parts family notice first: you seem flat, distant or tired.

What if they say it’s all in my head?

Stay calm, and bring the leaflet line. Doubt often comes from never having heard of PSSD.

Patients hear the same doubt from health professionals. In a 2019 study of 62 people who had reported PSSD to RxISK, one participant said a doctor told them:

“he also said it is all in my head and that i should change boyfriend.”

Participant 39, quoted as published. The people in the study were recruited through a drug-safety website, so it can’t tell us how common this is. It does show you’re not the only one who has been doubted.

If someone keeps dismissing you, you can set a limit: “I’m not asking you to agree. I’m asking you to stop telling me it isn’t real.” Our article on whether PSSD is real gives them something to read in their own time.

How can a partner or family member help?

The most useful thing they can do is believe you and ask what helps. They don’t need to understand the biology.

Rosie, president of the PSSD Network, talks about her own PSSD in her interview on our site. In this extract she describes what it’s like to live with it. It’s a good video to share with someone who wants to understand.

Play video: Interview with Rosie, PSSD Network President

A partner can also help in practical ways:

• Come to the GP with you, and help describe the changes they’ve noticed.
• Keep a simple record of the medicine, the dates and what changed.
• Talk about closeness without pressure. Intimacy can change shape for a while.

Our article on relationships after PSSD goes further.

Where can I find support, and what else can I do?

Other patients often understand what family can’t. Our WhatsApp peer support groups are run by people affected by PSSD, PFS and PAS.

Family and friends are one part of support. A peer group means you don’t have to explain from the start each time. Some partners and parents join to learn too.

If you feel low or have thoughts of ending your life, please talk to someone now. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans are free on 116 123, day and night.

These medicines help many people. If you have side effects, that’s a decision for you and your prescriber. Don’t stop suddenly.

If you’re telling your GP, bring a short note: “Sertraline 50 mg from January 2023, last tablet March 2024. Genital numbness and feeling emotionally flat since.” Many people say it took time to be taken seriously. You can report it without a doctor agreeing.

Report it: it helps everyone

A doctor’s note helps you. A report to the medicines regulator helps everyone else: it is how patterns get noticed.

• No proof needed. A suspicion is enough, even years after stopping.
• Where: the Yellow Card scheme in the UK, MedWatch in the US. Our Yellow Card guide for PSSD shows each step.
• Use the right words. If symptoms continued after stopping, write Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (MedDRA 10086208).

Our reporting guide walks you through it

What else do people ask?

Who should I tell, and how much? Tell the people you trust first, and only what you’re comfortable sharing. With parents or friends, “It affects my emotions and energy, and some private things” is enough. A partner usually needs more, because they live with the changes too. It’s fine to tell one person and stop there.

Should I tell my employer about PSSD? Only if you want to. You can describe the effects that matter at work, such as tiredness or trouble concentrating, without naming the condition. Keep any GP notes about the effects in case you need adjustments later.

What if my family blames me for taking the medicine? You took a medicine a doctor prescribed for a real problem. Nobody can yet predict who will get PSSD. If blame keeps coming up, it’s fine to pause the conversation and come back to it.

How do I explain it to a new partner? There’s no right moment, but before things get serious is often easier. Start with how it affects you, not the medical name, and let them ask questions.

The first conversation is the hardest. Start with one person, one sentence and the leaflet line, and our PSSD page can do the rest.

Sources

1. Lundbeck Limited. Cipralex (escitalopram) patient information leaflet, electronic Medicines Compendium (UK). Section 2, Warnings and precautions: “In some cases, these symptoms have continued after stopping treatment.”
2. Healy D, Bahrick A, Bak M and colleagues. Diagnostic criteria for enduring sexual dysfunction after treatment with antidepressants, finasteride and isotretinoin. Int J Risk Saf Med 2022;33(1):65-76. Proposed criteria developed through expert agreement. Section 3: an enduring change in genital sensation after treatment stops; ancillary symptoms may include emotional numbing, other sensory problems and cognitive impairment.
3. Healy D, Le Noury J, Mangin D. Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction: patient experiences of engagement with healthcare professionals. Int J Risk Saf Med 2019;30:167-178. Questionnaire answered by 62 people from 23 countries recruited through RxISK.org. Quotation from participant P39, section 3.4, quoted as published.
4. GOV.UK. Report a problem with a medicine or medical device.
5. Samaritans, 116 123 (UK and Ireland).
6. Moral Medicine, Interview with PSSD Network President Rosie, 9 July 2024.

Sources checked on 22 October 2026. AI-assisted writing and review, not clinical review.