Case report, 2022
How is menstrual psychosis with unusual physical symptoms treated?
In this case, a 28-year-old woman with premenstrual dysphoric disorder developed severe psychotic symptoms a week before menstruation, which improved rapidly with medication and resolved when her period started.
What they did
Doctors described one 28-year-old woman with a history of PMDD who developed psychotic symptoms with unusual body positions and reduced responsiveness starting a week before her menstruation.
What they found
The woman was treated with lorazepam and olanzapine (antipsychotic medications), and her psychotic symptoms resolved rapidly when her menstruation began. She was then followed in the community and continued to do well without continuing antipsychotic medication.
What it means for you
This case shows that severe psychotic symptoms can occur in the week before menstruation in women with PMDD, and that they can resolve when menstruation starts. The woman did not need to continue antipsychotics long-term. The main limitation is that this is one person, so we cannot know how common this pattern is or whether this outcome applies to others.
28
woman's age in years
a week
when symptoms started before menstruation
About the study
- Original title
- A case of pre-menstrual psychosis with catatonic symptoms
- Authors
- Brian O'Mahony
- Journal
- Psychiatry Research Case Reports
- Year
- 2022
- Study design
- Case report
- What was tested
- Lorazepam and olanzapine (antipsychotic medications).
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.psycr.2022.100065
Original abstract
This case report discusses the case of a 28-year-old woman, with a history of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, who presented with polymorphic psychosis, with catatonic features, which started a week prior to menstruation. She was treated with lorazepam and olanzapine and her psychotic symptoms resolved rapidly, upon menstruation. She was subsequently treated in the community and continues to do well without antipsychotic therapy. Not recognised in either ICD or DSM criteria, menstrual psychosis is nonetheless well described in the literature. Menstrual psychosis with catatonia appears to be an extremely rare condition and, as such, its pathology and most appropriate treatment is not well described.
Reproduced under CC-BY.
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