PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Fred S. Berlin
TI  - Commentary: Risk/Benefit Ratio of Androgen Deprivation Treatment for Sex Offenders
DP  - 2009 Mar 01
TA  - Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online
PG  - 59--62
VI  - 37
IP  - 1
4099  - http://jaapl.org/content/37/1/59.short
4100  - http://jaapl.org/content/37/1/59.full
SO  - J Am Acad Psychiatry Law2009 Mar 01; 37
AB  - Androgen deprivation treatment (ADT) significantly lowers testosterone. That, in turn, can decrease sexual drive, facilitating better self-control and lower recidivism rates among sexually disordered offenders. Potential side effects can include: decreases in bone density; development of a metabolic syndrome involving weight gain, accompanied by changes in glucose and lipid metabolism; and rarely, depression. In the presence of a proper treatment protocol designed either to prevent or to minimize side effects, particularly the development of osteoporosis, the risks associated with ADT are generally within the same range as those associated with many other commonly prescribed psychotropic interventions.