Is the client experiencing sexual dysfunction as a coping mechanism for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?

From the Guidelines

I strongly recommend seeking professional help from a trauma-informed therapist or counselor immediately. What you're describing sounds like a form of self-harm through sexual behavior, which can actually worsen trauma rather than heal it. This approach, sometimes called "exposure therapy without guidance," can lead to retraumatization and deeper psychological harm. Instead, evidence-based trauma treatments like EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), CPT (Cognitive Processing Therapy), or trauma-focused CBT provide structured, supported ways to process traumatic experiences. These approaches help you work through trauma gradually with professional support rather than forcing yourself into potentially harmful situations. The brain processes trauma differently than other experiences, and healing requires safety, not further distress.

Some key points to consider:

• The revised CPG includes 34 recommendations in the following 5 topic areas: assessment and diagnosis, prevention, treatment, treatment of nightmares, and treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with co-occurring conditions, as stated in the study by 1.
• Six recommendations on PTSD treatment were rated as strong, including the use of specific manualized psychotherapies over pharmacotherapy, as mentioned in the study by 1.
• The CPG recommends against use of benzodiazepines, cannabis, or cannabis-derived products, as stated in the study by 1.
• Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy is useful to aid adolescents who have been sexually assaulted, as shown in the study by 1.
• Please consider contacting a mental health crisis line, local mental health services, or a trauma specialist who can provide appropriate care tailored to your specific needs and circumstances.

From the FDA Drug Label

The FDA drug label does not answer the question.

From the Research

Trauma and Treatment

• The client's experience of making herself have sex to get over trauma is a complex issue that requires a comprehensive approach to treatment 2, 3.
• Research suggests that trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) are effective in reducing trauma symptoms and externalizing behavior problems in adolescents and adults 3, 4.
• These therapies have been shown to be more effective than waitlist or usual care, and may be equally effective immediately post-treatment, but with some evidence of greater drop-out in active treatment groups 3.

Seeking Help and Social Support

• The decision to seek psychological help can be influenced by social networks, with having a relationship with someone who recommends seeking help or who has sought help themselves being potential facilitators of help seeking 5.
• Knowing someone who has sought help can be related to more positive attitudes toward help seeking and increased intentions to seek help 5.

Treatment Approaches

• Combining selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been shown to be effective in treating youth with depression and anxiety, with the combination producing greater improvement than either treatment alone 6.
• The response to combined treatment can vary across disorders and by specific patient characteristics, such as age, severity of symptoms, and presence of externalizing disorders 6.