Psychological ED - is your mind getting in the way of sex?

If you’re wondering whether stress can cause erectile dysfunction, the answer is yes. Stress can be distracting; it’s hard for your body (and mind) to be in the mood for sex if you’re worried about work or another issue.

Anxiety and erectile dysfunction are also linked: being anxious can make it more difficult to get an erection, and erection difficulties can make you more anxious. The good news is that treating the underlying cause of the stress and anxiety in your life should also treat your ED.

What is performance anxiety?

Performance anxiety happens when worries about your ability to do something are so powerful, they impact your life.

When it comes to sex, performance anxiety usually means worries about your body (including penis size) or about your ability to please a partner. So try talking to your partner about your worries. By addressing the problem head on, you should feel less anxious about performing.

If you’re experiencing both depression and erectile dysfunction, you’re not alone. It’s a very common cause of psychological ED. Oftentimes, people who are depressed feel like they’re always too tired, lose interest in things they used to enjoy and notice a dip in their sex drive. Depression can keep you from being “in the moment,” impact your self-esteem or body image and add stress to your relationship. All of these things can contribute to ED.

If the depression is acute (a response to something specific that happened), it’s possible that your erectile dysfunction will resolve itself once time has passed. If the depression is chronic, however, you could keep experiencing ED indefinitely if you don’t seek treatment. In either case, it’s important to get help for your depression. That, in turn, can help treat erectile dysfunction.

Can antidepressants cause erectile dysfunction?

You’ve talked to your doctor, see a therapist regularly and take a daily antidepressant. You’re doing everything right but your ED isn’t any better. In fact, it seems worse. What gives?

Unfortunately, some antidepressants can cause erectile dysfunction or other sexual issues, like making it really difficult to orgasm or burning your sex drive to the ground. These are not side effects you should live with, and you should talk to your prescriber if you experience any of them. They might be temporary and go away on their own as your body gets used to the medication but if they don’t, it might be time to adjust the dose or find a different antidepressant.

Temporary ED and psychological ED can sometimes be the same thing. Temporary ED is exactly what it sounds like: erectile dysfunction that only lasts for a short time. This is usually because it’s caused by lifestyle factors that are possible to control, like a bad diet or chronic stress. Temporary ED can be either physical or psychological.

Is psychological ED permanent?

Psychological erectile dysfunction doesn’t have to be permanent — but it won’t always go away without treatment. That doesn’t mean you need medication or multiple visits to the doctor. The best thing to do is to pinpoint a possible cause like life stress, new relationship anxiety or mental health issues like depression. Once you’ve got the cause identified, you’re on your way to curing ED.

Focus on what you can control, like lifestyle changes to avoid stress or increasing communication with your partner to feel more comfortable when you’re having sex. It’s possible you might need help. Don’t be afraid of trying talk therapy or couples counseling. We’ll discuss all the ways to treat psychological ED later on in this health guide, so keep reading.

Can porn cause erectile dysfunction? Possibly. Porn-induced erectile dysfunction (PIED) is a recently identified condition but it’s not fully understood how it works. Theories about porn-induced ED focus on how porn can change how a person perceives sex in real life, from overexposure to “unrealistic” bodies and reactions to porn’s impact on dopamine levels.

If you watch a lot of pornography and experience erectile dysfunction, or if you find yourself often choosing porn over sex with your partner, it might be time to take a break.

Does masturbation cause ED?

“Masturbation-induced ED” is a bit of a misnomer. The physical act of masturbation can’t directly cause erectile dysfunction, although you’ll experience a refractory period after orgasming during which you won’t be able to get another erection. However, erectile dysfunction and masturbation do have some links. For example, watching a lot of pornography might change the way you think about sex with your partner and make it more difficult to become physically aroused.

It’s also possible to get used to masturbating in a specific way, whether by using a specific type of visual stimulation or a technique (like a really firm grip) that doesn’t translate well to partnered sex.

Some men choose to masturbate a few hours before sex to help them last longer, but this could ultimately make it more difficult to orgasm depending on how long their refractory period is.

Not directly. In fact, more sex is likely to improve your confidence and reduce the risk of performance anxiety. After sex, however, you’ll experience something called a “refractory period,” which is a short time during which it’s difficult or impossible to become physically aroused. This is perfectly normal and isn’t the same thing as erectile dysfunction.