CANADALAND7 Jul 2025

After Depression Meds, She Lost Her Sexuality

Emily Grey’s been living with a condition known as PSSD for six years now. PSSD can lead to the effective erasure of a person's sexual sensation and functioning.

The SSRIs that seem to be at the heart of this condition are selective serotonin uptake inhibitors, a group of antidepressant drugs that have been around for decades. The latest numbers indicate that nearly 20% of Canadian women and 10% of Canadian men are now taking these drugs.

It is generally known that potential side effects include a loss of libido. But what we're talking about today and what advocates like Emily have been saying for years is that the side effects can be very extreme. They might persist even after you stop taking SSRIs.

We'll also be speaking with Dr. David Healy, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Cardiff in Wales. Dr. Healy has been involved in SSRI research for decades. He's the author of over a dozen books on psychopharmacology, including Let Them Eat Prozac, the Unhealthy Relationship Between The Pharmaceutical Industry and Depression.

Also on our panel is Dr. Caroline Pukall professor of psychology at Queen's University whose research focuses on sexual wellbeing and includes sexual psychophysiology.

Credits:

Host: Jesse Brown

Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor and Publisher)

Fact checking by Julian Abraham

Additional music by Audio Network

Further Reading

PSSD website

Dr. David Healy

Dr. Caroline Pukall

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