Study, 2002
Can talking therapy help premenstrual symptoms?
A talking therapy combining techniques to change negative thought patterns and explore personal stories has been found to work as well as SSRI medication for moderate to severe premenstrual symptoms. Two case examples show symptom improvement.
What they did
Researchers developed and describe a psychological treatment that uses techniques to change thought patterns and explores personal stories to treat premenstrual symptoms. The paper includes two detailed case examples of women who received this treatment.
What they found
The paper presents two case examples from women who participated in psychological treatment. The women showed improvement in premenstrual symptoms through the course of treatment sessions. The approach considers that symptoms result from a mix of life circumstances, beliefs, and emotional factors.
What it means for you
Talking therapy may be an alternative to medication for some women with premenstrual symptoms. However, this paper describes the approach and shows examples rather than reporting full study results. The complete results were published separately. More research would clarify which women benefit most.
2
Case examples presented
About the study
- Original title
- A woman‐centred psychological intervention for premenstrual symptoms, drawing on cognitive‐behavioural and narrative therapy
- Authors
- Jane Maria Ussher, Myra Sally Hunter, Margaret Cariss
- Journal
- Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy
- Year
- 2002
- Study design
- Study
- What was tested
- Talking therapy combining techniques to change negative thought patterns and explore personal stories
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1002/cpp.340
Topics
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