Although ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is often considered a children’s disorder, it does affect adults as well. An estimated 5% of American adults have been diagnosed with ADHD – and many doctors believe that there are quite a few more who remain undiagnosed. Men with ADHD face a number of challenges, but most people don’t realize that there can be a penis care aspect to ADHD to consider. In some cases, ADHD may have an impact on a man’s sexual health.
ADHD
Just to refresh everyone’s memories, ADHD is, according to Healthline.com, “a condition that causes a person to have a variety of symptoms which may include impulsive behavior, hyperactivity, and difficulty paying attention.” It’s most often thought of as a disorder that causes kids (typically boys) to behave in a chaotic, loud manner. That is a vast oversimplification, of course, but it does pinpoint the fact that many view ADHD as a disruptive and difficult-to-handle disorder.
Those diagnosed with ADHD in childhood typically are treated through a variety of means, including medication and the learning of coping strategies. But adults who were not diagnosed as children do not have the advantage of years of this treatment, making the disorder even more challenging for them.
Sexual health
ADHD can have an impact on a person’s health in a variety of ways. One of these is on the sex drive, and the effects can be highly contradictory.
For example, in some people, ADHD is associated with a much diminished sex drive. This can in turn bring about some erectile dysfunction situations in men. But others find that they have a greatly heightened sex drive, to the point that they may be classified as having hypersexuality.
With hypersexuality, a person’s sex life is “manic.” They feel a heightened degree of arousal, often a high percentage of the time. In many cases, a man with hypersexuality will engage in excessive masturbation, often masturbating multiple times a day. He may also engage in excessive partner-based sex, indulging in behavior that would be classified as promiscuous and often taking multiple sexual partners.
The combination of ADHD and hypersexuality can thus cause a man to make bad decisions, such as participating in risky sexual behavior (unprotected sex, sex without determining “safety” of a partner, etc.). Often such a person is obsessed with sex, to the point that it interferes with the rest of their lives. They also rarely establish actual intimacy with their sex partners.
All of which can put an ADHD man with hypersexuality at risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) (and passing those STIs along to partners), obtaining a sore, painful penis due to rough handling and overuse, difficulty maintaining relationships, even of losing his job if he cannot keep his hypersexuality under control at work.
Adults with ADHD who find themselves with sexual health issues should contact their doctor and discuss these problems openly and candidly to determine the best path to take. It is likely to involve both medications and the inclusion of a mental health professional on the team to help the patient develop strategies to recognize hypersexual signs and behaviors and to learn how to cope.
Sexual health issues can impact any man, whether he has ADHD or not, and that’s why maintaining penis health is so important. Daily application of a superior penis health creme (health professionals recommend Man 1 Man Oil, which is clinically proven mild and safe for skin) is one excellent way to help maintain the organ’s delicate health. Look for a crème that contains both L-arginine and L-carnitine. The former is an amino acid that works to help the body produce nitric oxide. In turn, nitric oxide boosts the ability of penile blood vessels to open for expanded blood flow when necessary. L-carnitine, another amino acid, has neuroprotective properties, which make it a great help in maintaining proper penis sensation, even when the organ is roughly handled.