Live Better: Talk It Up; June 2005; Scientific American Mind; by Olaf Schmidt; 2 Page(s)

Advertisements for anti-impotence drugs are everywhere. The brand name Viagra--the "little blue pill"--has quickly become a household word and for understandable reasons. Studies show that more than 50 percent of American men ages 40 to 70 experience at least occasional erectile difficulties, episodes that increase with age. Yet a little-acknowledged statistic is that pharmaceuticals fail to help from 25 to 33 percent of men with erectile dysfunction.

Are millions of males, and their partners, simply out of luck? Not necessarily. A variety of psychological treatments can overcome the mental triggers that often cause the sexual disorder.