NCJ Number
134719
Journal
Bulletin of the American Academy of Psychiatry and Law Volume: 18 Issue: 2 Dated: (1990) Pages: 179-187
Date Published
1990
Length
9 pages
Annotation
Eight sexual offenders participated in a California study designed to test the effectiveness of using Depo-Provera (medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA)) in reducing the offenders' sexual interest and activity. The subjects, each of whom served as his own control, alternated Depo-Provera injections for 16 weeks with saline injections for a corresponding 16 weeks.
Abstract
The volunteers were all less than 40 years old, in good health, free of serious mental disorders, and capable of giving informed consent to the research. The author concludes that almost all hardcore mentally disordered sexual offenders (MDSOs) will self-report responses they believe to be desirable. However, most did not experience the results expected from the Depo-Provera injections versus the saline injections. The sexual laboratory measurements were too variable and inconsistent to accurately determine the dosage necessary to reduce sexual responses to deviant and nondeviant stimuli; most patients demonstrated decreased sexual arousal during both kinds of injections. 9 figures and 8 references