Gretchen Molannen, a woman who had a sexual arousal disorder which made her orgasm repeatedly, died in an apparent suicide.
Molannen,a 39-year-old woman from Spring Hill, Florida was found dead on Saturday evening. She had a rare genital aroual disorder which impacted her life as she continuously felt sexually aroused, according to the Tampa Bay Times. People with persistent genital arousal disorder (PGAD) are aroused physically but not psychologically and they must spend several hours masturbating just to get some relief. Doctors believe it is a due to a nerve malfunction.
Mollanen was dealing the disorder for 16 years before she took her own life. It was so bad that she couldn't function normally. She had no idea what her condition was for 10 years of her life. She couldn't keep a steady job because the disorder. She couldn't hold a steady job after 1999. She even kept the disorder a secret from her parents who she lived with until they died.
Molannen realized what PGAD was when she saw a 20/20 TV special where the show focused on the condition and someone else who had it.
She tried to seek help from medical professionals, but she was unable to get the help that she needed because most doctors had never heard of the disorder and she couldn't afford the treatments that others went through.
The disorder was too much for her and she couldn't get assistance. She tried to commit suicide three times in the past year but the previous attempts were unsuccessful.
"I know that God wants more out of my life than having me testing out suicide methods, constantly crying and abusing myself," she told TampaBay.com.
Since she couldn't keep a job and had no income, she filed for Social Security disability benefits but she was denied. She turned to classifieds site Craigslist to look for herlp. She was asking for someone on Craigslist to provide her with a free MRI so she could show a judge that she had a true disability.
The Times found Molannen's ad and interviewed her during the summer and when a judge denied her disability claim once again, the Times shared her story in November. On November 28, Molannen thanked the Times for wanting to share information about her rare condition.
"Thank YOU for taking an interest in doing a story for me! I am flattered that you cared so much to want to help. I just hope this will educate people that this is serious and really exists, and that other women who are suffering in silence will now have the courage to talk to a doctor about it. If men have suffered with the shame of impotence or even priapism, now it's time for women to get help as well. Thank you for your patience with me and for devoting so much time to this. I'm sure your editor is very proud of your work and I'm excited to see my own story online," she told the Times in an e-mail.
Upon seeing the story, several legal and medical professionals volunteered to help her and women with the same condition wanted to connect with her.
However Molannen's boyfriend sent the times an email on Monday saying that she wouldn't be needing help. She was found dead in her home on Saturday night. She committed suicide.
Thousands of women may be suffering from this disorder, but like Molannen, they might not know what is is or are too afraid to come forward or they just can't afford the help that they need since their conditions restricts them from living a normal life.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
