Erectile dysfunction and depression are highly prevalent among men and the conditions coexist and interact in several ways that remain unclear. Erectile dysfunction is the inability to attain or maintain an adequate penile erection to penetrate the vagina during sexual intercourse. The relationship between erectile dysfunction and depression is complex. Some experts feel that the onset of erectile dysfunction causes some men to become depressed while others seem to think that the depression is the primary cause of erectile dysfunction.

Compare to men who do not have depression, men with major depression are about twice as likely as other men to have erectile dysfunction. Diminished libido and reduced sexual activity have been associated with depression as well. Men with major depressive disorder may experience the loss of nocturnal erections. Men with erectile dysfunction often feel inadequate and have diminished self esteem and tend to withdraw from their partners.

A hot area of erectile dysfunction research encompasses the possibility that successful treatment of erectile dysfunction may lead to improvements in depressive symptoms. The problem with treating the depression with SSRI anti-depressants such as Zoloft, Paxil, and Prozac, is that these particular types of medications often cause further sexual dysfunction by themselves and further diminish libido and worsen erectile dysfunction and sexual performance.

Another problem that should be ruled out when erectile dysfunction and depression are present is andropause (low testosterone levels). This alone can be the primary cause of both conditions.

If the testosterone levels are normal, a trial of one of the PDE-5 inhibitor medications (ie Viagra, Cialis, or Levitra) may be the most prudent thing to try initially. Even in a study conducted with men who had developed erectile dysfunction while on an SSRI (anti depressant medication), the results were rather clear. When compared with men in the placebo (fake pill) group, those assigned to the Viagra reported improvements in erectile dysfunction, arousal, ejaculation, orgasm, and overall satisfaction. Members of both the Viagra group and placebo group remained in remission from depression during the study, and the authors speculated that the use of Viagra might prevent men from discontinuing depression medication because of the sexual side effects.

The important thing to take from this is to seek help and determine what the cause is. The best news about it is that it can be treated successfully and there is no reason why any man cannot feel happy and have a healthy sex life as well.