I mean sexuality not gender. I don't know very much about the hormones associated with sexuality. I do know that the hormone oxcytocin is released upon orgasm. So many people I know, both male and female complain of being depressed when their sex lives are on the fritz. I wonder if there is a connection. I asked a psychiatrist friend once, he wouldn't answer me, he just laughed and changed the subject. We weren't in an appointment or anything so it was Ok for him to laugh it off. But I wonder, is there a connection?

Hello simone:

My sex life is on the fritz. I'm depressed about it... Ok, I'm not happy about it, but I wouldn't call it depression. Maybe that's because I get a shot of oxcytocin fairly often, when I "practice".

excon

When your sex life ain't happy you aren't happy, but its an indication of problems in other areas of your life that needs attention. Its more a symptom of a greater problem.

I would think that this is one main theme of emotional illness... non- functioning(pleasureless) sexuality and anger(inner or outer directed). This is a very complicated subject. A person has to have a strong sensual expression as part of a healthy personhood/identity, or if lacking, a person is not a whole or complete personality. Stunted, as it were. One of the Board members posted a link to statistics on female sexual satisfaction, and I was horrified to see the vast numbers of females who are orgasmless! I really thing that both young men and women are dissatisfied with their sex lives in inverse proportion to all the sex talk and porn and sexual permeated culture. More and more sex talk... less and less pleasure and satisfaction. It appears we are still a culture where religion(& frigid moms) destroys a child's healthy sexual outlook, and the means to put healthy sexuality back together eludes most... It certainly isn't porn or sex addiction or drunken/drug sex or promiscuity...

Anger ruins everything in life... whether inner or outer directed. Inner directed anger, depression, always ruins a person's healthy sex life... anyway, enough musings!

My opinion is that only a psychiatrist would be competent to discuss, even in the most shallow of discussions, this subject.

If that was the true then people who were still reaching orgasism though masturbation would not be depressed, but the emotional issues of the relationship is mostly where the depression comes from

Chuck, Are you addressing your comment to me? Please clarify as it is unintelligible to me.

Thanks!

Hey Chuck, I hadn't thought of that. Oh my. If people really do get depressed because of lack of sex, maybe it's a lack of interpersonal intimacy. Or as has been stated above, "...more a symptom of a greater problem."

And I had somehow forgotten that depression is anger turned inward. How could I forget that? I thought it was a simple thing. NOT! Thank You everyone for your help.