Depression
Depression can impact a man’s quality of life in many ways. Some symptoms of depression include a depressed mood, diminished interest or pleasure in activities one used to enjoy, significant weight loss or gain, insomnia or hypersomnia, fatigue or loss of energy, feelings of worthlessness, and a diminished ability to think or concentrate. Each of these symptoms alone may be enough to negatively influence a man’s sexual function.
A high percentage of men suffering from mild-severe forms of depression also experience sexual dysfunction. In men, depression is most frequently found co-morbidly with low sexual desire and impaired erectile function. It is often unclear as if depression symptoms preceded low sexual desire or the other way around.
The relationship between mood and sexuality in men has been found to be extremely complex. In some men, depression can actually increase sexual interest since sex can temporarily satisfy needs that these men are not getting fulfilled in other areas aspects of their life such as intimacy, self-validation, and pleasure.
Current research indicates that an improvement in sexual functioning is a significant predictor of depression remission. It is recommended that treatment of sexual functioning should be an integral component of therapy for all depressed men.