If you can't get or keep an erection for psychological reasons instead of physical ones, you have psychological erectile dysfunction (ED), which is also called psychological impotence. Physical problems like hormonal imbalances, diabetes, heart disease, and neurological diseases can make ED worse, but mental health issues can also play a big part.
Stress: A lot of stress from work, money, relationships, or other things in life can make it hard to get aroused and act sexually.
Anxiety: ED can be caused by performance anxiety, fear of failing, or thoughts about how well you'll do in bed. Anxiety can make it so that people are afraid they won't be able to act sexually, which causes more stress and worsens erectile function.
Depression: Depression can make it hard to get or keep an erection. It can also affect arousal, libido, and sexual pleasure. On top of that, antidepressants, which are used to treat sadness, can sometimes cause or make ED worse.
Problems in the relationship: Problems in communicating, ongoing conflicts, or anger can make it hard to be sexually intimate and cause erectile dysfunction.
Body image problems: Having a bad opinion of your body, low self-esteem, or thoughts of not being good enough can make you less confident in your sexual abilities and lead to erectile dysfunction.
Trauma or past events: Having a traumatic event, like being sexually abused, can cause mental problems that make it hard to be sexual.
A full evaluation by a medical professional, including a thorough medical history, physical exam, and possibly psychological tests, is often needed to diagnose psychological erectile dysfunction. Psychotherapy, counseling, or therapy may be used to treat psychological ED in order to deal with underlying mental problems, boost sexual confidence, and improve coping skills. Medications like phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors may also be given to help with erectile dysfunction while mental health issues are being dealt with. For full treatment and better sexual health and well-being, it's important to deal with both the physical and mental parts of erectile dysfunction.
