Effects of ADHD on Sexuality Part 1
ADHD is a real thing, so if you suspect it, get tested, preferably by three or four independent sources. It increases your chances of objectivity. So once you’re officially diagnosed with the condition and have started a treatment programme, (how) does it affect your sex life?
Let’s start by understanding the condition a bit better. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder makes patients impulsive. They have a hard time paying attention or staying focused. Untreated, it can result in anxiety, depression, and inability to function. Mundane activities can become impossible. These elements of ADHD can have a direct effect on your sexuality because they affect your sex drive, as well as your interest in formerly pleasurable activities.
Break it by fixing it
A more direct correlation sometimes exists, because ADHD medication can make the patient lose interest in sex. But even without medication, low attention spans and difficulty focusing can be bad for your sex life. Firstly, sex itself involves observing your partner’s sexual cues, making the sensual moves they enjoy and being present throughout the process. If your attention keeps straying, sex won’t be fun for either of you, and you’ll seek it less frequently.
Secondly, the tips that help you last longer in bed require cued concentration. So if you can’t keep your mind and body still on demand, your performance will suffer. At the emotional level, risky impulses could lead ADHD patients to indulge in pornography and infidelity, which breaks the trust in their relationship and leads to sexual problems. As a result of these habits – plus other ADHD symptoms, the patient’s self-image is dented, and that further affects their sex life.
Low self-esteem is a big driver of seeking premature ejaculation solutions, and it’s cyclic. ADHD may make it hard to keep up at work or school, so they might keep dropping out or quitting jobs. This makes patient doubt themselves, and their value as a person. This (unrelated but) crippling self-doubt can paralyse them in intimate moments, so they can’t perform. Then their lack of performance dips their self-worth further, leading to added incidences of early ejaculation.
Too much or too little
Two other issues that may arise are hyposexuality and hypersexuality. If your long-term partner suddenly loses interest in sex, you might start to doubt your own attractiveness, which widens the sexual gap between you. On the other hand, if their sex drive suddenly doubles or triples, you may have a hard time keeping up. You can develop guilt and inadequacy about your inability to satisfy your partner. Or you may get anxious that their needs are being met elsewhere.
All these scenarios can interfere with your sexual, psychological, and emotional bonds, and none of it is good for your sex life. In Part 2 of this article, we’ll dig into potential solutions for sex-related ADHD challenges. In the meantime, for more information on the effects of ADHD on sexuality, call AMI today on 1800 10 10 90 and book a consult.
Read more:
What makes you feel best about sex?
Frequent sex might have cognitive benefits
