Cohort study, 1990
Does anxiety get worse before the period in women with panic disorder?
Women with panic disorder reported afterward that their anxiety was worse before their period, but their daily diary records did not consistently show this pattern. The answer depends on how you ask the question.
What they did
19 women with panic disorder kept daily home diary records for 60 days covering 30 menstrual cycles. They rated their anxiety, general health, late-luteal symptoms, and the number and severity of panic attacks.
What they found
When asked to remember back, women reported that anxiety increased during premenstrual days. However, their daily diary ratings did not consistently show this pattern.
What it means for you
Women may remember their anxiety as worse before their period even if daily records do not show it. This suggests memory bias. we tend to remember what we expect to happen rather than what actually did. This is a small study of women with panic disorder, so results may not apply to women with PMS.
19
Women with panic disorder
60 days
Duration of tracking
30
Menstrual cycles tracked
About the study
- Original title
- Anxiety and the menstrual cycle in panic disorder
- Authors
- Cook BL, Noyes R Jr, Garvey MJ et al.
- Journal
- Journal of affective disorders
- Year
- 1990
- Study design
- Cohort study
- What was tested
- None - daily anxiety tracking
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/0165-0327(90)90095-p
Topics
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