DEPRESSION: A PSYCHOLOGICAL CAUSE OF ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION
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When we talk about psychological conditions it means the mental feeling of the human mind. Our actions are the outcome of what we feel inside. Our mind is so powerful that it fully controls us and we behave as per the directions given by our mind. The prolonged suffering from Psychological condition like depression can lead to suicidal thoughts or diseases like erectile dysfunction.

Causes of depression?

Depression can happen anytime and to any one. Depression does not have a single cause; it normally occurs when a sad and unwanted tragedy in life like death of loves ones, sickness, divorce, bankruptcy etc happens. The following can be summed up as the main causes of depression:

Stress: when there is an abrupt change in your life like financial problem, divorce, death of family members etc.

Hereditary: family history plays a very important role as depression is in the gene.

Low self esteem: a pessimistic person who had a very negative looks to life are prone to depression.

Sickness: The medications used in treating diseases can cause depression and also when a person suffers from serious illnesses like cancer, heart disease and incurable disease like AIDS they became emotionally weak and depressed as they lose hope in life.

Symptoms and types of depression :

Insomnia, loss of appetite, fatigue, low self-esteem and lethargy are some of the symptoms of depression.

There are four types of depression:

1. Dysthymia
2. Bi-polar disorder
3. Seasonal affective disorder
4. Postpartum depression

Relations between depression and Erectile Dysfunction:

Depression is responsible for 10% - 20% of Erectile Dysfunction. Depression can affect our actions physically and mentally. Even if our body is following all the rules but if the mind is busy in different thoughts then there can be no concentration. To achieve erection you need full concentration and the right mood.& Erectile dysfunction can also occur due to the prescribed drugs used for the treatment of depression.

A survey was conducted by Tampere school of Public Health , university of Tampere , Finland , to find out if there was any link between depression and erectile dysfunction. In 1994 questionnaires were mailed to 3,143 males in the age group of 50, 60 and 70. And in 1999, in the follow up to the survey 1,683 men filled up the questionnaires. The survey concluded that erectile dysfunction was strongly associated with treated and untreated depression. When men with depressive symptoms and men without depressive symptoms were compared it was found that the density ratio of erectile dysfunction was 4.5 in men who had past history of depression and 1.2 in men who are untreated of their depression.

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