Stephen B. Levine, MD

Sexual life is not just about sexual identity and sexual behavior. 

These simple tips may help take the mystery out of the process of psychotherapy and put us in a better position to understand our patients-and ourselves.

Although many mysteries of sexual pathophysiology await illumination, patients may expect mental health professionals to provide guidance about their persistent sexual disappointments. Insights here.

Before flibanserin, there were no FDA-approved treatments for hypoactive sexual desire disorder. The authors clarify the intricacies of an HSDD diagnosis and discuss implications for treatment.

Psychotherapy is a rubric--an umbrella under which a vast array of differing interventions exist. Its diverse forms are supported by different ideologies and vocabularies.

Diminishing libido is a symptom of depression, but antidepressants do not always restore sexual interest. Loss of desire may be the cause of depression, not its consequence. Dr Levine explains the nature of sexual desire and its relationship to arousal including the various biogenic, psychogenic, interpersonal, and cultural factors that contribute to problems associated with sexual desire.

Any sexual behavior--normal or abnormal, masturbatory or partnered--ultimately rests on biological elements, psychological elements, interpersonal elements, and cultural concepts of normality and morality.