Psychological Problems Can Cause Erectile Dysfunction

For many men, the image of self is inevitably linked to a perception of masculinity which in turn involves functioning and performing well sexually. When problems do occur in the form of an inability to achieve or sustain an erection the term erectile dysfunction (impotence) is applied.

Things can go wrong at any point of the 3 stages of producing and maintaining an erection:
First Stage: Sexual arousal, getting sexually stimulated from our thoughts and senses.
Second Stage Erection: The brain communicates the sexual arousal to the body which increases the blood flow to the penis.
Third Stage Erection: Blood vessels that supply the penis relax allowing an increased blood supply to flow into the shafts that produce the erection.

If anything affects any of these stages or the delicate balance between them, erectile dysfunction ensues. The good news is that nonphysical causes of erectile dysfunction are the root cause in only 10% to 20% of cases. In such circumstances, a patient is said to have psychogenic erectile dysfunction.

The most common psychological problems can generally be related to: inhibited sexual desire, anxiety disorders, depression, mental fatigue, stress, guilt, relationship problems, and lack of interest in sex by partner etc.

Often, the fundamental problem is anxiety or depression. One study found that erectile dysfunction is nearly twice as common among depressed men as it is among those who aren't depressed.

Keep in mind, though, that nonphysical causes of erectile dysfunction play a contributing role in most cases, no matter what the cause. Even if the cause is purely physical or medical, erectile difficulty is almost certain to have an emotional and psychological impact.

These emotional consequences can lead to the kind of performance anxiety that triggers more severe erectile dysfunction. When this happens, a man may begin to avoid his partner or make excuses for not having sex - actions that can perpetuate anxiety or depression.

At this stage, the role of the psychological difficulties may in fact overshadow the original medical or physical cause. To cure the problem, you'll need to address both the physical problem and the psychological one.

A very special type of dysfunction is what’s called as excessive masturbation impotence. Masturbation itself does not cause impotence. When your body has had enough, it will just refuse to respond, but this is very far from impotence. About the only 'side effect' is that if the penis is rubbed for hours and hours, it can temporarily become puffy with fluid in the tissues.

It is possible, however, that a man can achieve an erection and masturbate successfully and not be able to achieve an erection which would enable him to have a satisfactory sexual intercourse.

In the past, it was believed to be a case of excessive masturbation impotence. It is a fact that masturbation causes less tension for men than sexual intercourse does, so it may well be that a man gets anxious when he is preparing to have sex with a partner.

Another issue is our own education. Feeling guilty about how often you masturbate could be the real issue for the onset of an erectile dysfunction. If you are experiencing negative emotions/thoughts related to the frequency of masturbation, masturbating less often may solve the problem.