Survey study, 2024
Are PMS or PMDD linked to different features of bipolar disorder in women?
Yes. Women with bipolar disorder and PMS or PMDD became ill at younger ages, had worse depression symptoms with more anxiety and thinking problems, and were more likely to have OCD or family history of mental illness. This is observational, so we cannot prove cause and effect.
What they did
Researchers studied 262 Chinese women with bipolar disorder. They used a screening tool to identify PMS and PMDD, and measured depression and mania symptoms using established rating scales.
What they found
About 57.6% of women with bipolar disorder had PMS and 20.6% had PMDD. Women with both conditions started becoming ill younger, had higher depression scores (especially for anxiety and thinking problems), were more likely to have obsessive-compulsive disorder, and those with PMDD were more likely to have family members with mental illness.
What it means for you
Bipolar disorder combined with PMS or PMDD might be a distinct form of the illness with earlier onset and worse symptoms. The main limit is that this is observational, so we cannot tell whether PMS or PMDD causes these features or simply occurs alongside them.
57.6%
women with bipolar disorder who had PMS
20.6%
women with bipolar disorder who had PMDD
262
women studied
About the study
- Original title
- The impact of comorbid premenstrual syndrome or premenstrual dysphoric disorder on the clinical characteristics of bipolar disorder among Han Chinese women
- Authors
- Liang X, Yang T, Liao Y et al.
- Journal
- Archives of women's mental health
- Year
- 2024
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 262
- What was tested
- None
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1007/s00737-023-01380-7
Topics
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