There aren’t many moments in life more embarrassing, sexually, for a man, and more disheartening for his partner, than when a man prematurely ejaculates. From medications like Paxil and Zoloft to topical creams and low-sensitivity condoms to even meditation, the 30% percent of men who suffer from ejaculatory disfunction have gone to great lengths to treat their sexual disorder.

Now researchers are calling into question the effectiveness of a psychological approach to solving the “minute-man” epidemic.

There is nothing worse than after a man squirts his milk a tad bit early and his partner suggests, “maybe it’s all in your head?” Considering most neuro-physicists are just beginning to scratch the surface when it comes to understanding the workings of the brain, it is a tall order to fill when one asks the average man to figure out his psychological issues.

A Cochrane Review of four previously published studies of 253 men found insufficient evidence to support behavioral therapy for premature ejaculation, despite small studies and anecdotes proclaiming its success. But some experts maintain that the therapy, which aims to ease the anxiety surrounding the condition for both men and their partners, can be useful together with medication.

According to the report’s lead author Tamara Melnik, a professor of internal medicine at the Federal University of Sao Paulo in Brazil, the psychological aspects are still important, but since other alternatives need governmental approval in order for doctors to monitor their effects, the over-reliance on psychological intervention is leading to side effects.

“The assumption behind psychosocial interventions is that when patients learn about [premature ejaculation] they begin to develop new sexual management strategies to deal with restrictive sexual patterns, such as avoidance of sexual activity and an unwillingness to discuss sex with a partner.”

Premature ejaculation destroys a man’s sexual confidence if he feels shameful about his performance. Shame creeps into the man’s psyche usually from his perception of himself in regards to other men. Basically, his illusions of a man’s ideal virility cause him repeat his underwhelming performance and, even more tragically, seek out the negative reaction from his partner to justify his feeling of self-defeat.

“We often hear men only think with one brain, but there’s still considerable thought and emotion that goes into sex,” said Dr. Jeremy Close, a primary care physician at Jefferson University Hospitals in Philadelphia.

Since the major barriers for patients seeking psychotherapy are money — the average cost for the treatment hovers around $125 per visit for an eight-session treatment course– and funding –most studies don’t meet the bar for evidence-based research that’s set very high these days — most doctors are caught between offering off-the-cuff advice to men who may need real behavioral help.

Dr. Stanley Althof, executive director of the Center for Marital and Sexual Health of South Florida and co-author of the Cochrane Review relayed his sense of urgency for further, fully-funded research to ABCNEWS.com:

“This isn’t about just enhancing your sex life or making you a better lover. This is about helping men or women with real problems,” Althof said. “And we have ways to do that. We just have to be more rigorous in how we go about conducting research.”