Survey study, 2026
Do teen girls with ADHD have more suicidal thoughts when angry before their period?
Teen girls with ADHD are more likely to have PMDD and premenstrual anger. However, overall depression appears to be the main driver of suicide risk, not premenstrual anger alone.
What they did
Retrospective chart review of 392 female psychiatric outpatients with mean age 15.3 years. Researchers reviewed medical records to look at ADHD diagnosis, premenstrual symptoms, depression severity, and presence of suicidal thoughts using validated questionnaires.
What they found
Girls with ADHD had higher rates of suspected PMDD (22.1% versus 13.3% in those without ADHD). ADHD diagnosis significantly predicted higher premenstrual anger scores even after controlling for depression. Premenstrual anger alone predicted suicidal ideation. However, when depression was included in the analysis, depression became the dominant predictor and premenstrual anger no longer had an independent effect.
What it means for you
Teen girls with ADHD may experience more intense premenstrual anger, but depression is the key factor driving suicide risk, not anger by itself. This study only included girls already in psychiatric care, so results may not apply to all teenagers. Medical records may have incomplete information.
22.1%
girls with ADHD had suspected PMDD
13.3%
girls without ADHD had suspected PMDD
392
psychiatric outpatients studied
About the study
- Original title
- Beyond general depression: Premenstrual interpersonal anger as a unique pathway to suicidal ideation in adolescent females with ADHD
- Authors
- Ogata H, Kondo C, Seki M et al.
- Journal
- Journal of psychosomatic research
- Year
- 2026
- Study design
- Survey study
- What was tested
- None
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2026.112907
Topics
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