Cohort study, 2001
Does having PMDD increase the risk of developing major depressive disorder?
In this small pilot study, 7 of 8 women with PMDD developed major depressive disorder within two years. However, this needs confirmation in much larger studies.
What they did
A pilot study followed 8 women with PMDD and 9 without PMDD. Women tracked symptoms daily for two menstrual cycles. Researchers then followed both groups over two years and documented which women developed major depressive disorder.
What they found
Seven of the eight women with PMDD developed major depressive disorder during the two-year follow-up, including all those who had never had it before. Women with PMDD were 14 times more likely to develop major depressive disorder than women without PMDD.
What it means for you
If confirmed in larger studies, this would suggest PMDD could be a warning sign for future depression. This is a very small pilot study with only 8 women, so the findings cannot be considered proven. The results need to be tested in much larger groups.
8
women with PMDD
7
who developed major depression
14
times higher likelihood of depression with PMDD
About the study
- Original title
- Premenstrual dysphoric disorder and risk for major depressive disorder: a preliminary study
- Authors
- Hartlage SA, Arduino KE, Gehlert S
- Journal
- Journal of clinical psychology
- Year
- 2001
- Study design
- Cohort study
- Participants
- 9
- What was tested
- None
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1002/jclp.1119
Topics
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