Bibliotherapy: An effective therapeutic tool for female sexual dysfunction?

Object. - Bibliotherapy is a concept which leads us to consider the wide range of actual therapeutic approaches. The originality of bibliotherapy lies in the fact that the use of a writing (brochure, manual, book...) constitutes the central element of the help intervention. Methodology. - A review of the literature about the different types of bibliotherapeutic books, about the way these books are used, as well as about the levels of contact with the therapist will be presented. The reflection wilt thereafter focus on scientifically validated books dealing with female sexual dysfunctions. Results. - Bibliotherapy as treatment for sexual dysfunctions does not equal traditional sex therapies, but it offers an interesting and effective alternative for a specific target audience and a complementary tool to traditional methods. Discussion. - Different factors influencing the effectiveness of the bibliotherapeutic tool are discussed. Some reflections are also proposed to try to determine the profile of the women to whom the bibliotherapeutic tool may be advised. Conclusions. - It is noticed that there exists only a few bibliotherapeutic tools which have been validated for sex therapy. The promotion of further research in this field would therefore be highly pertinent in view of the positive results of previous studies. (C) 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. Alt rights reserved.