Excellent study on psychogenic ED

[Flavio]

Psychogenic ED is an extremely common medical problem and affects men of all ages.

Even if your ED problem is primarily organic, anxiety and depression may also be playing an important part. It is therefore useful to be well informed about psychological impotence.

The role of the brain in sexual function is still a big mystery and there aren't many studies on this subject but I recently came across an excellent study on the mechanics of psychogenic ED entitled 'From Premature Ejaculation to Erectile Dysfunction via Depression'.

A few quotes:


'Studies quoted prove that anxiety is closely related to premature ejaculation. Later on anxiety gets converted into depression, which in itself is an etiological factor of erectile dysfunction.'


'Robust association exists between anxiety and depression. Anxiety is associated with depression in the range of 47 to 57% and 56% of anxious patients have comorbid depression.'


'In an important study, subjects with PME were divided into two groups, E1 and E2. Former group had less neurotic features than later group. On psychological evaluation close resemblance was found between E2 and those who were having psychogenic ED. Levels of depression in all groups under study except E1 was significantly high. Level of anxiety among persons suffering from neuroticism is always very high. This particular study highlights interrelationship between neuroticism, anxiety, depression and erectile dysfunction.'


'Depression and performance anxiety are closely linked. Anxiety begins in childhood or adolescence, while start of depressive disorder takes place later during young to middle adulthood.'


'Yet evidence has been provided by a neurological study in which activity of brain was monitored during sexual stimulation in depressed and healthy subjects. In subjects with depression, brain activation during erotic visual stimulation was considerably less than in healthy subjects especially in thalamus, caudate nucleus and inferior and superior temporal gyri. Both the groups - depressed and healthy showed no tangible differences in activation when they were exposed to neutral stimuli.'


'These studies and observations testify that a strong relationship exists among anxiety, PME, depression and ED'


'Limitations: We still cannot predict with certainty what kind of anxieties would be converted into depression. Secondly it is not yet possible to predict what type of depression would develop into ED. No classification of depression on the basis of neurotransmitter has been proposed.'


You can read the full text here:

http://www.wpanet.org/education/pdf/finalpme.pdf