Case report, 2023
Should doctors check whether mood symptoms are linked to the menstrual cycle before treating them?
This paper says yes. It argues doctors treating women of childbearing age for mood symptoms should always consider whether the menstrual cycle plays a role, using one woman's case as an example.
What they did
The authors describe one woman with mood swings and irritability. They look at how her hormonal cycle related to her symptoms and compare how psychiatrists and gynecologists tend to classify and treat similar symptoms differently. They base their treatment suggestions on existing summaries of research and gynecological guidance, since no psychiatric guideline for PMDD exists yet.
What they found
PMDD has been part of the DSM-5 since 2014 and affects 3-8% of all women who can have children. For the woman described, recognizing and treating the hormonal side of her mood symptoms also helped her deal with other problems she was facing. Psychiatrists and gynecologists use different approaches for similar symptoms.
What it means for you
For women with mood symptoms that may be tied to their cycle, it could help to have doctors specifically look for a hormonal pattern, since treating that may ease other difficulties too. This comes from a single patient example, not a large study, so it cannot prove how well this works in general.
3-8%
Share of women of childbearing age affected by PMDD
2014
Year PMDD was added to the DSM-5
About the study
- Original title
- [Recognition and treatment of premenstrual mood disorders]
- Authors
- Terwisscha van Scheltinga AF, Terwisscha van Scheltinga JA
- Journal
- Tijdschrift voor psychiatrie
- Year
- 2023
- Study design
- Case report
- What was tested
- Recognizing and treating the hormonal, menstrual-cycle-related part of mood symptoms, compared with standard psychiatric treatment.
- Read the paper
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36734689/
Topics
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