The conceptual relationship between panic disorder and male erectile dysfunction

Despite evidence of a relationship between sexual dysfunction and panic disorder, there have been few clinical reports addressing the nature of the association between these phenomena. We present three case reports of men diagnosed with panic disorder with agoraphobia, who presented for treatment of erectile problems. In each of the three cases, the similarity between sensations experienced during sexual arousal and those experienced during panic attacks is noted. The purpose of these case presentations is to stimulate further empirical examination of sex-panic states and to alert practitioners of the possible assessment and treatment implications for such individuals. The symptomatic overlap exhibited in these cases is conceptualized from both a psychobiological model of panic disorder and from Barlow’s model of sexual dysfunction in an effort to provide a theoretical framework to guide future research and clinical assessment.