Survey study, 1985
Are women with PMS mood changes more likely to have depression?
Yes, strongly. Women with a depression history are much more likely to have severe PMS mood symptoms, and most women with severe PMS mood symptoms have also had depression at some point.
What they did
Researchers evaluated 170 women for both current and lifetime depression using standard diagnostic criteria. They also assessed premenstrual mood changes using a separate assessment tool.
What they found
57% of women with a lifetime depression diagnosis met criteria for severe PMS-related mood symptoms. Only 14% of women who'd never had mental illness met these criteria. Of women with severe PMS mood symptoms, 84% also had major depression, while only 9% had never had any mental illness.
What it means for you
There's a strong two-way link between depression history and PMS mood changes. We can't tell whether having depression makes PMS worse, whether PMS leads to depression, or whether both stem from shared causes.
170
women studied
57%
with depression history had PMS mood symptoms
84%
with PMS mood symptoms had depression
About the study
- Original title
- Relationship of dysphoric premenstrual changes to depressive disorders
- Authors
- Halbreich U, Endicott J
- Journal
- Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica
- Year
- 1985
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 170
- What was tested
- None
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0447.1985.tb02532.x
Topics
Related studies
Study, 2026
What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder?
Systematic review, 2022
Does having PMDD increase the risk of depression during pregnancy or after birth?
Cohort study, 2015
How common are PMS and PMDD in young women, and are they connected to depression?
Cohort study, 1995
Does premenstrual syndrome get worse as women age?
Randomised trial, 2024
Does what you eat affect PMS symptoms?
Non-randomised trial, 2008
Does changing sleep timing help mood in women with PMDD?