Case report, 2023
What is menstrual psychosis?
Menstrual psychosis is a rare condition causing severe psychiatric symptoms that repeat with the menstrual cycle. This case shows that psychiatry and gynecology doctors must work together to diagnose and treat it properly.
What they did
Doctors described one early adolescent girl who started having episodes of aggression, irritability, insomnia, hallucinations and confusion when her menstrual periods began.
What they found
The girl had multiple psychiatric hospital admissions with episodes coinciding with her menstrual cycle. She also had abnormal hormone levels. Treatment required coordination between psychiatry and gynecology specialists and raised questions about long-term antipsychotic medication.
What it means for you
This case shows that menstrual psychosis can cause severe symptoms that repeat with the menstrual cycle. The condition is extremely rare and diagnosis is challenging. A major limitation is that this is only one girl's experience, so we don't know how common this pattern is or what treatment works best.
About the study
- Original title
- Challenges in diagnosis, treatment and coordination of care of menstrual psychosis
- Authors
- Gilmore A, Cottrell TJ, Chen SE
- Journal
- BMJ case reports
- Year
- 2023
- Study design
- Case report
- What was tested
- Coordination between psychiatry and gynecology services.
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2022-251555
Topics
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