What is the relationship between depression and sex?
People who are depressed also often complain of problems in a sexual relationship. What is the relationship between depression, sex, and low sexual performance?
Oftentimes problems such as impotence and the inability to reach orgasm occur in conjunction with depression, and the good news is that such problems can often be appropriately treated by doctors.
Learn about the relationship between depression, sex, and impotence in the following:
Depression, sex, and impotence: what's the relationship?
To understand the explanation between depression and sex and why depression may bring with it problems with sexual performance, think for a moment in the brain. This organ has exceptional sexual sensitivity.
Where sexual desire begins in the brain and then goes down, and this happens thanks to special neurotransmitters in the brain that increase communication between brain cells, which leads to an increase in the amount of blood that reaches the genitals, and thus the problem begins when depression and other mood disorders lead An imbalance of neurotransmitters.
Many men and women who suffer from depression report having no or no sexual desire, and it is no wonder that this phenomenon has a significant impact on the relationship between spouses when one of them suffers from depression.
What antidepressants affect sex?
Although antidepressants help improve mood and a sense of self-esteem, some, for example, are medications that inhibit serotonin reuptake and cause unwanted side effects. These side effects can lead to problems with sexual performance.
Antidepressants improve mood by changing the balance of chemicals in the brain, but unfortunately, these are the same chemicals that are involved in the sexual response, so antidepressants can upset the balance of these chemicals often causing problems with sexual performance. The sexual side effects of antidepressants appear to increase with increasing doses.
Sexual performance problems caused by antidepressants
Problems with sexual performance that antidepressants can cause include the following:
The inability to initiate sexual intercourse or enjoy it while practicing it.
Erectile dysfunction in men.
Low sex drive.
Inability to reach orgasm.
What is the treatment of ED related to depression?
There are ways to treat the side effects of antidepressants and sex without compromising the quality of depression treatment, and they are as follows:
Some newer antidepressants work differently than traditional medications and may not similarly affect sexual performance, so try to ask your doctor to prescribe another medication that has less impact on your sexual performance.
There are medications to treat sexual performance problems that can be taken in conjunction with taking antidepressants and sex, but you should talk to your doctor about the problems you are experiencing, but the problem may be that there are people who find it difficult to talk about their sexual lives even with a professional, but think about Without your doctor know about your problem, he or she won't be able to help you treat it.
Support your partner with depression and sexual problems
A good relationship with a partner can greatly help those who suffer from depression, through the following:
A supportive partner is patient with you and your problems listen to you and wants to help you in any way possible.
Talking about problems related to depression and sex can help you overcome difficulties that might harm your relationship.
The partner is glad that you shared the problem with them because you want to improve and maintain the relationship between you.
A person's ability to continue taking antidepressants increases when they receive psychological and emotional support from their partner