What are the psychological causes of impotence?
Psychological causes of impotence often include work pressures, financial worries, fear of aging, or frustration with relationships. When someone is impotent during a period of depression or anger, it's as if his body demands that he confront his feelings. Misunderstanding of normal male sexuality can also cause impotence. In your 40's, it will take you longer to get an erection than in your 20's. In your 60's, it will take longer than in your 40's. But there is no reason that a man of any age cannot enjoy a fulfilling sex life. A man who is depressed, under stress, or worried about his "performance" during sex may not be able to have an erection. Qualified therapists or counselors who specialize in the treatment of sexual problems can often help diagnose and sort through these problems.
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Some impotence problems can be solved when a man understands the normal changes of aging and how to adapt to them. For example, as men get older they generally need more direct stimulation to achieve an erection. They may also have less firm erections, take longer to ejaculate and need more time between erections. Relationship woes can interfere with potency and so can job stress, depression or financial worries. Impotence may also be the result of deep-seated emotional trauma, such as having been sexually abused as a child. Qualified psychotherapists can diagnose such problems and help men understand and overcome them.
Most men will experience psychological impotence at least once in their adult life, so it's important to know that an occasional episode is not a diagnosis for on-going impotence. In most cases, isolated episodes are more likely to be due to fatigue, stress or an over-indulgence in alcohol than an underlying physical cause. However, many men react to an occasional episode of impotence by becoming more anxious, which results in further sexual problems, hence more anxiety. This is called the "impotence domino effect" of anxiety - failure - more anxiety - more failure. Despite the enormous advances men and women have made about their sexual roles and identity since the sexual revolution of the 1960's, many men still feel enormous pressure to "perform" sexually. Very often their feelings of self-worth and masculinity are intricately interwoven with their ability to "get it up". So it's easy to see why impotence, even if it is an isolated incident, can lead to "performance anxiety" and the subsequent loss of self-esteem. The most important thing to remember is that occasional episodes of impotence are normal. Unless there is an underlying physical cause for impotence, or the episodes increase in frequency, there is no need for treatment.
Depression and anxiety disorders are cited as the most common causes of psychological impotence. However, depression and anxiety can be both the cause and the consequence of impotence. In many cases, it can be very difficult to determine whether depression and anxiety disorders cause impotence, or if impotence leads to feelings of depression and anxiety. Clinical depression can cause psychological impotence because it interferes with the brain function necessary to stimulate sexual arousal and produce an erection. Depression also suppresses positive feelings and emotions, which inhibit libido and the desire for sexual activity.
A number of prescription drugs used to treat severe depression and anxiety disorders are known to cause psychological impotence. These include certain anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, tranquilizers and lithium. And just to add fuel to the fire, many anti-depressants interfere with the effectiveness of the popular impotence pills, such as Viagra, Cialis and Levitra.
The answer to relationship issues often lies in good communication. Problems with impotence can put severe pressure on the healthiest relationship, so it's important that both you and your partner share your feelings. Reducing your anxiety prior to sexual activity is vital. By working together, you and your partner can enhance your relationship by creating a stress-free, intimate and stimulating environment.
Stress is one of the leading causes of psychological impotence. While a little stress helps drive achievement and success, too much stress is not good for you. Most of us live fairly stressful lives these days, so stress can be work-related, financial, marital, sexual or any one of a number of other reasons. Most men have experienced either a loss of libido or an inability to maintain an erection during periods of stress, however these episodes are usually transient. In most cases, once the stress has been reduced, full sexual function returns.
Like stress, fatigue affects us all at certain times and is a common cause of temporary psychological impotence. Fatigue drains mental and physical energy and can result in anxiety if the problem is not addressed. Like stress, once fatigue is reduced, normal sexuality is restored. On-going fatigue may be a symptom of an underlying medical illness, so consult your doctor if the symptoms persist. |
