Persistent Sexual Arousal Syndrome (PSAS) is a rare condition affecting women that has only made its way into the medical literature in recent years. Women with PSAS experience genital arousal and lubrication without direct stimulation or even a desire to become sexually aroused. These episodes of arousal may last for hours and are uncomfortable and quite distressing.

We don't yet know the precise cause of this syndrome, although some patients report having bouts of depression just prior to the onset of PSAS. Picking up on this observation, a team of British researchers has proposed an interesting hypothesis to explain this unusual syndrome. Writing in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, the researchers suggest that PSAS may be part of a withdrawal syndrome associated with stopping SSRI antidepressants.

Typically, withdrawal from SSRIs lasts 5 to 10 days. During this time, some people experience sleep disturbances, flu-like symptoms, or problems with balance. For others, however, withdrawal can last up to 18 months after stopping SSRIs.

One possible biological explanation for PSAS, say the researchers, may be the decrease in serotonin receptors that occurs after stopping SSRIs, a decrease that in turn affects the body's levels of an important peptide called ANP. High levels of ANP cause, among other things, dilation and constriction of the vessels in the genitals.

Although this hypothesis remains unproven, it could be a straightforward explanation for a puzzling and distressing condition.