Psychological Causes of Erectile Dysfunction

          Our minds are incredibly powerful: we tend to forget about the impact that one's mind can have on one's physical being. But when you think about it, everything that happens in your body is controlled by your brain. In the brain are the brain centres and the pituitary gland which between them control all your hormones and all your nerve actions. There are complex connections between the nerves and the hormones which make fascinating study: some of these connections and interrelationships may not even today be fully appreciated.
          So it should be no surprise that when you have an emotional problem it will very likely affect your sexual functioning. In men, the attaining of a firm erection which lasts long enough for him to perform adequately sexually is the first requirement. An erection is caused by simple hydraulic principles: the blood flow into the penis is increased, then certain veins constrict so that the blood is trapped, causing the penis to swell and become firm. So, this is a matter of pure physics. But, like all other functions in the body, this purely physical action is affected by one's thoughts and one's emotions: and so the sequence of physical events can be turned off by the brain.
          One of the many causes of erectile dysfunction is the perception by the man that he is, or could be, not up to good sexual functioning. Thus it is that a man with a poor self-image, who generally sees himself as not good enough, may be unable to achieve an erection. Or a man who has been brought up in a very sexually repressed environment may have such guilt feelings about indulging in what he was brought up to see as an evil and unacceptable act, that his perception of sex may prevent him from going through the necessary sequence of physical events that result in an erection. Such causes of erectile dysfunction will usually need counseling by a qualified psychologist in order for the man to see sex as a normal part of human interaction and an integral part of a fulfilling relationship.
          Also, any man who has been highly nervous about a sexual encounter may find himself temporarily unable to have an erection. This is fortunately a very temporary cause.
Any man who is highly anxious, or very depressed, will also find himself unable to function as he would like. States such as anxiety and depression fall along a continuum: we all get anxious or depressed at times in response to work stresses, challenges such moving house or starting a new job, or when a relationship is going sour. Usually such states are also short-lived and clear up once the social situation has been resolved, and the erectile dysfunction will also go away. But if the anxiety or depression seem to be present without being related to an event in life, and are so severe that they interfere significantly with the person's ability to function in his work and home life, then those conditions need treatment by a medical practitioner. The man will continue to struggle with his erectile dysfunction while his emotions are in turmoil. The unfortunate thing is that some of the medicines used to treat the emotional state also, in themselves, cause erectile dysfunction as a side effect: so the patient will have a long road of treatment to follow before he can look forward to a normal sexual functioning: and such a man will have to look for assistance from the medication which a doctor can prescribe, specifically to treat erectile dysfunction.
          Ideally a man with erectile dysfunction which is not related to a short-term upset in his normal life should approach a counselor to talk through his sexual problems: and usually his partner should share in the counseling. Because the erectile dysfunction is so often a reflection on the other things that are happening to him and are worrying him, he needs to work through those things. If his problems arise from a self-esteem issue, or a relationship issue, then merely taking medication to allow him to have an erection is not the solution to the problem in the long term: the medication will only be a crutch to help him achieve a physical state.
          Getting a man to go for counseling, however, is easier said than done. Many men avoid healthcare practitioners at the best of times, and are very reluctant to admit to themselves or to others that they have an erectile problem.
So, many men with psychological causes of erectile dysfunction use the PDE5 inhibitors to enable them to achieve erections so that they can function sexually, and certainly these medicines do help them to enjoy a better quality of life. It is fortunate that these medicines, which are generally safe and well tolerated, are available.