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Novel treatment (new drug/intervention; established drug/procedure in new situation)
Evaluation of electrical aversion therapy for inappropriate sexual behaviour after traumatic brain injury: a single case experimental design study
  1. Bert Jan ter Mors1,
  2. Caroline M van Heugten2,3,
  3. Peter N van Harten2,4
  1. 1Department of Brain Injury, Huize Padua, GGZ Oost Brabant, Boekel, The Netherlands
  2. 2School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
  3. 3Department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
  4. 4Psychiatric Centre GGZ Centraal, Amersfoort, The Netherlands
  1. Correspondence to Bert Jan ter Mors, b.ter.mors{at}ggzoostbrabant.nl

Inappropriate sexual behaviour after acquired brain injury is a severe complication. Evidence for effective treatment is not available. Electrical aversion therapy (EAT) is a behavioural therapeutic option used in persons with intellectual disabilities, which might be suitable for brain-injured individuals for whom other therapies are not effective. The effect of EAT in brain injury has not been investigated previously. A single case experimental design was used. In an ABBA (baseline-treatment-treatment-withdrawal) design the frequency of the target behaviour (ie, inappropriate sexual behaviour) in a 40-year-old man was measured daily. A total of 551 measurements were recorded. A significant reduction of the target behaviour was seen after the first treatment phase (baseline 12.18 (2.59) vs 3.15 (3.19) mean target behaviours daily); this reduction remained stable over time. We conclude that EAT was effective in this patient with inappropriate sexual behaviour due to severe brain injury. EAT can therefore be considered in therapy resistant inappropriate sexual behaviour in brain-injured patients.

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