Psychological Causes of Erectile Dysfunction

The cause of erectile dysfunction often has psychological causes. It can be difficult to determine whether erection difficulties are due to physical or psychological causes because of how the mind and body interacts.

For example, impotence can be caused by depression. However, in cases where the actual depression is not the cause, it may be that the anti-depression medication is causing erection difficulties.

It's well-known that the mind and emotional state can have a profound effect on the physical body. Depression can promote a sense of lethargy and fatigue that can cause a disinterest or frustration about sex. Even when depression is not the cause, if your mood is negative or disinterested in sex - then the chances are that erection difficulties may occur. This is only logical - if someone is not in the mood for sex, due to other worries or concerns, then it stands to reason that the body won't be interested.

Unfortunately, men are often very hard on themselves and society has them believing that they must always be ready to rise to the occasion - no matter what. This is unrealistic. Nevertheless, the alarm that many men feel when they realize that they can't have an erection on an occassion (when they're not in the mood) causes a self-doubt that may linger until their next sexual encounter. For some men, this fear of not performing the next time becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and their fear will actually cause the erectile dysfunction.

What can be done about this? If this is already occurring, then it would be helpful to realize that this is caused by the fear. Hopefully, you can work through it with a patient and caring partner. If this doesn't work or not a realistic solution for you then counselling with a sex therapist is a good option. You could also consider hypnosis that may help you restore your confidence in this area. Self-hypnosis is also available on the internet - it may help, but if it doesn't then don't give up - seek professional help.

If you're reading this and don't experience erectile dysfunction or it has you concerned because of a small number of incidents, I URGE you to STOP and realize that there will be times when you simply don't feel like having sex, for whatever reasons, and you should explain this to your partner and not even try to proceed on that occasion.

If you partner is insistent then just calmly and patiently reiterate that you're simply not in the mood. Women often aren't in the mood so hopefully your partner will understand. The trap is that some men feel that they need to prove something to themselves or their partner and they then try to continue only to realize that they aren't able to achieve an erection. They then blame themselves for failing and fear the next occasion. This sets up a downward spiral into reinforcing a false belief that they have become impotent or have erectile dysfunction when it was simply their body's way of telling them that it was not interested in sex on that occasion.

Therefore, don't even try to have sex until you are truly in the mood. If you find that you're often not in the mood then identify what's causing your lack of interest. Did your lack of interest begin after a new high-stress job? Did you start some new medication? (in which case talk to your doctor). Are you stressed due to financial worries? Whatever the reason, address these other causes so that your anxiety level can be reduced to a level that your natural desire and enthusiasm returns. As mentioned earlier, hypnosis or simple meditation may be quite helpful to deal with impotence and erectile dysfunction; otherwise, you should seriously consider talking to your doctor who can either check the medications that you're taking or refer you to someone who can provide specialized help.