---
title: Can we tell women with PMS apart from women with mood disorders based on symptoms?
description: Not easily. Reported PMS symptoms alone cannot reliably identify women with diagnosed PMS. Women with mood disorders reported fewer PMS-like changes than expe
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/premenstrual-changes-a-comparison-of-five-populations-1986/
---

- [Niyora](https://niyora.com/)
- [Research](https://niyora.com/research/)
- [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/)
- Can we tell women with PMS apart from women with mood disorders based on symptoms?

Cohort study, 1986

# Can we tell women with PMS apart from women with mood disorders based on symptoms?

Not easily. Reported PMS symptoms alone cannot reliably identify women with diagnosed PMS. Women with mood disorders reported fewer PMS-like changes than expected from previous research.

 Early or limited evidence

Women with confirmed PMS, women without PMS, women with bipolar disorder, women with seasonal affective disorder, and control women

## What they did

Researchers compared reported PMS symptoms across five groups. Women with confirmed PMS, women without PMS, women with bipolar disorder, women with seasonal affective disorder, and healthy controls.

## What they found

Reported symptoms did not distinguish women with confirmed PMS from those without PMS. Women with mood disorders reported fewer premenstrual changes than previous studies had suggested.

## What it means for you

You cannot diagnose PMS by asking about symptoms alone. The connection between PMS and mood disorders is more complicated than just having more PMS symptoms. More research is needed to understand how to properly diagnose PMS.

## About the study

Original title Premenstrual changes: a comparison of five populations Authors Roy-Byrne PP, Rubinow DR, Hoban MC et al. Journal Psychiatry research Year 1986 Study design Cohort study What was tested None (observational comparison) Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/0165-1781(86)90062-4](https://doi.org/10.1016/0165-1781(86)90062-4)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Bipolar disorder](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-bipolar/)[Major depressive disorder](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-major-depression/)

Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits.

Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor.

## Related studies

Systematic review, 2026

How often do mood disorders and PMS or PMDD occur together?

Cohort study, 2023

Are PMS symptoms linked to genetic factors for psychiatric disorders?

Study, 2026

Do anxiety and depression get worse before your period if you already have a mental health condition?

Review, 2011

Can estrogen hormones treat depression linked to the menstrual cycle?

Case-control study, 2006

Are hormone-related chemicals different in women with mood disorders during the menstrual cycle?

Cohort study, 1990

What PMS symptoms do women experience even when not seeking treatment?

Ask AI about this page

Copy prompt

ChatGPT

↗

Claude

↗

Perplexity

↗

Google AI Mode

↗

Grok

↗