It would be inaccurate to say that treatment is always individualized because often treatment is directed at both partners in the relationship. It is however individualized in the sense that it is directed specifically at the factors believed to be causing these problems. There is seldom a medical cure.
Despite the attention given to drugs such as Viagra and others, these agents only permit erections. They do not cause them. Such drugs are used primarily for erectile dysfunction, not to enhance intimacy or initiate arousal.
Psychoactive drugs can be valuable if the problem stems from mental illness but in a majority of instances, ISD is related to each partner’s attitudes toward sex and sexual intimacy. In those instances in which ISD has physiological origins such as hormonal deficiencies, medical therapies designed to restore hormonal balance may be applied. Curiously, when neither partner is actively interested in sex, it is seldom seen as a problem. This suggests that balance is important, perhaps essential, to a relationship.
Psychological and sexual counseling are the primary therapies for ISD. Psychology is employed to determine attitudinal components of the problem. Counseling designed to enhance understanding, improve the expression of feelings both negative and positive, and establish situations in which sex is more acceptable and enjoyable. It may focus on enhancing the emotional relationship between partners, as in marital counseling, before proceeding to enhancing the sexual relationship.
Counseling may be a lengthy but not necessarily arduous process. The rewards certainly justify the endeavor for they cannot only enhance a couples’ attitudes toward themselves and each other but their general overall outlook on life.