Just one more way psychology psyches us out… I've never been a big fan of psychology-and here's another in a long list of reasons why… A recent Reuter's article trumpets the claims of British psychologist Lorraine Boule, among them the notion that older men actually have FEWER impotence problems than their younger counterparts-an idea I find contradictory to both medical fact and basic common sense. What's worse is the fact that her bold conclusions are apparently based only on the results of just one small survey! The Sheffield University psychologist's survey of 185 married men purports to show that males under 46 years of age experience erectile difficulties 37.5 percent more often than their more senior comrades. But here's the fly in her ointment: In order to be even remotely accurate, surveys (especially itty-bitty ones like Boule's) require honesty. So how can she be so sure that her study is actually measuring rates of erectile dysfunction and not simply the tendency of older men to live in denial of their impotence? I believe this is precisely what this British survey reveals. The hard (or not so hard) evidence is on my side. As any M.D. can tell you, the incidence of ED increases predictably with age. And all any curious psychologist would have to do to conclude the same thing is survey a group of REAL doctors-not pry into the sex lives of those living in fear or shame about their condition. Dr. Boule's flawed findings only serve to reinforce perceptions of inferiority within those most likely to suffer from impotence. Think about it. What helps men drum up the courage to seek treatment is the idea that they're NOT ALONE-and that their problem is nothing to be ashamed of. Where's the good in making their affliction seem less common by suggesting that they should actually have fewer erectile problems as they age? It's an absurd assertion-of the type that's rampant in modern psychology. I do whole-heartedly agree with Dr. Boule on one point her survey revealed, however: We older men do in fact make BETTER LOVERS… Facing reality,
William Campbell Douglas II, MD | 
