Erectile Dysfunction

Psychological problems, such as anxiety, interfere with the erection process by distracting the man from things that would normally arouse him. These problems cause between 10 and 40% of erectile dysfunction. Even in cases where the underlying problem is physical, these factors can play an important secondary role, for example when a man who has had some erectile difficulty starts to anticipate and fear sexual failure. As a result, psychological factors play some causal role in at least 80% of cases of erectile dysfunction. These factors include:

• Depression: erectile dysfunction is twice as likely among men suffering from depression as it is among those without depressive symptoms.
• Relationship problems: a man who loses sexual interest in or desire for a particular partner may develop erection problems.
• Anxiety and stress, including that caused by major life changes.
• Grief and other reactions to major loss: recently widowed men may have erection problems.
• Low self-esteem
• Erection problems in men under 50 are more likely to be due to psychological causes.

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