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Running head: MALE ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION
The Effect of Medical Intervention and/or Couples Therapy on Male Erectile Dysfunction
Ruth Greco
California State University, Sacramento
Abstract
Sexual competence is at the central core of contemporary masculinity. ... Erectile dysfunction can cause profound humiliation and despair. Secondly, it has caused hundreds of thousands of men to suffer in silence due to the stigma attached to this type of medical condition. When sexual needs are not met because of physical or psychological barriers, sexual dysfunction becomes a condition which cannot be ignored. Suitable treatment for erectile dysfunction then becomes paramount for the man as well as his partner. Treatment options need careful consideration, as the causes of erectile dysfunction are complicated and far-reaching. To that end, medical intervention and psychosexual therapy becomes critical in treating erectile dysfunction. ...
The Effect of Medical Intervention and/or Couples Therapy on Male Erectile Dysfunction
Before 1998, erectile dysfunction (ED) (also known as erectile disorder) was referred to as impotence. ... According to The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV) (American Psychological Association, 1994), “male erectile disorder is the persistent or recurrent inability to attain, or to maintain until completion of the sexual activity, an adequate erection. ... Therapeutic treatment approaches involve behavioral assignments, sex therapy and sex education, and communication training (Heiman & Meston, 1997). ... At the end of therapy, couples were offered an additional treatment option. Thirteen out of twenty couples chose sildenafil and reported “a very good response. ... The subjects preferred pharmacological therapy such as sildenafil as opposed to a mechanical device which did not lend itself to spontaneity. Additionally, a ten-month waiting period existed if the couple opted for psychosexual therapy. This reinforced the decision for couples to select pharmacological intervention as an immediate resolution to their sexual problems. ... A combination of intrapenile injections and psychosexual therapy can be a beneficial treatment option. ... One of the barriers to this type of study as stated by Hartmann & Langer (1993), “there is a considerable drop-out rate in self-injection therapy. ... Additionally, the consolidated treatment did not surpass the effects of sexual counseling or sex therapy alone. ... Another point to consider is penile implants can destroy any functional erectile tissue and the procedure is essentially irreversible. As with any surgical procedure, implants to correct erectile dysfunction should only be considered when all other options have been exhausted.
A study conducted by Wylie (1997), shows that the effect of brief couples therapy on the treatment of ED is beneficial. Though couples’ score values appeared to be reduced (positive outcome) and reflected improvements, they were not statistically significant.
Approximate Word count = 2130
Approximate Pages = 8.5
(250 words per page double spaced)
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