Woman featured in Tampa Bay Times story about sexual disorder commits suicide

[jsr]

http://www.tampabay.com/news/health/medicine/woman-featured-in-times-story-about-sexual-disorder-commits-suicide/1264559

Woman featured in Times story about sexual disorder commits suicide
By Leonora LaPeter Anton, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 5, 2012

A woman who was featured in a Tampa Bay Times story that dealt with a rare sexual disorder was found dead of suicide late Saturday at her home in Spring Hill, according to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff's officials did not provide details about how or when Gretchen Molannen died, but she was last seen alive Thursday at 11:30 p.m. Records show deputies responded to a suicide call about midnight Saturday night. The Times received emails from two of her friends confirming her death and lamenting that she wasn't able to get the help she needed.

Molannen, 39, suffered from persistent genital arousal disorder, a debilitating condition marked by continuous sexual arousal. Women who have the disorder are physically but not psychologically aroused. Many must masturbate for hours for just a few minutes of relief. Some doctors believe the condition is caused by a nerve malfunction.

Molannen struggled with the disorder for 16 years. For the first 10 years, she had no idea what she had and suffered in silence. She tried to work, but the condition affected her job performance and she was unable to keep steady employment after 1999. She lived in Spring Hill with her parents — both now dead — and never told them what she was going through. In 2007, she saw a woman talk about the condition on the TV program 20/20 and finally realized what she had. ...

[virgogal]

1. Very sad.The poor lady.

[bluestateguy]

2. Sounds like the female version of priapism

A shame that this was not taken seriously.

[TDale313]

3. Such a sad story.

She shouldn't have had to suffer like this, and her condition should have been treated seriously.

[LeftofObama]

4. How sad! n/t

[TwilightGardener]

5. Wonder why they couldn't "deaden" the affected nerve

with a block or something?

[slackmaster]

6. Ugh, I hate it when people end up dying because doctors couldn't do anything to help them

[Enrique]

7. hopefully this will help others

it says she was rejected for disability benefits. I can't believe this story won't cause some kind of change in that.