Can Depression Cause Erectile Dysfunction? - Safe4Cure

Can erectile dysfunction result from depression? Here is all the information you require.

Despite the stigma associated with mental illness, depression is a highly widespread condition. In the United States, an estimated 21 million persons went through a depressive episode in 2020.

Numerous elements of your life might suffer from depression, from making it difficult for you to perform simple tasks to lower your quality of life as a whole. So, if you're having both erectile dysfunction (ED) and depression, you might wonder: Can depression induce erectile dysfunction?

Below, we'll examine the relationship between depression and erectile dysfunction, as well as how to treat each ailment.

The Basics of Depression

Can erectile dysfunction result from depression? It's helpful to have some background knowledge of depression in order to respond to this question.

A prevalent mental health condition is major depression, commonly referred to as clinical depression or just sadness. Other mental illnesses like anxiety or physical ailments like cancer, chronic pain, or heart problems can coexist with major depression.

Depression symptoms may not be as obvious as those of other disorders, such as those of a panic attack, which include shaking, perspiration, or chest pain.

Typical symptoms of depression include:

• A constant sense of melancholy or emptiness
• Feeling helpless or thinking things won't get better
• A negative or hopeless attitude
• Feelings of irritation and annoyance on a regular basis
• Fatigue and overall lower energy levels
• Having trouble falling asleep or sleeping too much
• Losing enthusiasm for pastimes and other past interests
• Thoughts of suicide or attempts at suicide
• 
  

The Connection Between ED and Depression

What connection exists between your sex life and depression?

You may have erectile dysfunction if you have trouble attaining or keeping one that is strong enough to engage in sexual activity.

ED symptoms include:

• not being able to erection when you want to
• Having the capacity to erect but being unable to keep it up during sex
• despite wanting to have sex, only occasionally being able to get an erection
• 
  

We go into more depth about typical symptoms of erectile dysfunction in our guide on how to tell if you have ED.

Numerous reasons, including medications like blood pressure medications or long-term medical disorders, might lead to erectile dysfunction. Additionally, psychological factors like depression might have an impact on erectile function.

Severe Depression Decreases Sexual Desire

Low moods and negative thoughts, which may result in low self-esteem or performance anxiety, are examples of depressive symptoms that can cause erectile dysfunction. Your desire for sex could decline if you're depressed.

See this article for details on the causes of Men Health.