On Sun, 17 Oct 1999 TriStateF@aol.com wrote:
> Suppressing sex drive has been associated with suppressing other human
Drives generally run on different feedback loops so in most cases
I would say they are independent. I would say that thirst is
distinct from hunger is distinct from sex. That's because the
"detectors" for when you are in short supply of one should
involve different biochemical mechanisms.
> drives?
> Also, I'd like to know what the possible treatments are for a person
> (male - if that's relevant) who has NEVER had a sex drive but would
> like to change that.
I doubt there could be a situation of a mature male "NEVER having had" a sex drive. Almost everything critical for survival and reproduction Nature has built in with "multiple" redundant pathways. You could get some diminishment of the drive (say mutations that cause low testosterone levels), if the backup systems are significantly weaker than the primary system. It is clear that with a fair amount of mental programming the sex drive can be suppressed or sublimated into other areas (witness monks, priests, etc.). It is questionable whether this is mentally healthy in the average individual. In a "fully aware" individual who realizes that this is occuring it could probably be "accomodated".
If someone feels they don't have a sex drive and wants to change that then the first place to start is to determine if they have normal levels of the motivator/effector hormones. This should be done by a qualified physician.
Robert