---
title: Do severely depressed women experience different PMS symptoms than women without depression?
description: No, not in symptom type. Depressed women reported the same symptoms as non-depressed women with PMS but rated them as more severe, suggesting depression influ
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/comparison-of-depressed-and-nondepressed-women-with-severe-premenstrual-tension-1986/
---

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- Do severely depressed women experience different PMS symptoms than women without depression?

Survey study, 1986

# Do severely depressed women experience different PMS symptoms than women without depression?

No, not in symptom type. Depressed women reported the same symptoms as non-depressed women with PMS but rated them as more severe, suggesting depression influences how severe symptoms feel rather than changing what they are.

 Early or limited evidence

Severely depressed women and nondepressed women with severe PMS

## What they did

Researchers compared the nature and severity of premenstrual symptoms in severely depressed women with severe PMS to nondepressed women with severe PMS.

## What they found

Severely depressed women had higher PMS scores than nondepressed women. However, both groups did not differ in which symptoms they experienced or how they ranked them. Depression appeared to influence how women perceived and rated their symptoms, but the underlying premenstrual dysfunction was identical in both groups.

## What it means for you

Depression may make PMS feel more severe without changing the actual symptoms. The main limitations are that no sample size is given and this is a cross-sectional comparison without control groups.

## About the study

Original title Comparison of depressed and nondepressed women with severe premenstrual tension syndrome Authors Siegel JP, Meyers B, Dineen MK Journal Psychotherapy and psychosomatics Year 1986 Study design Survey study What was tested Observational comparison study, no treatment tested Read the paper [doi.org/10.1159/000287936](https://doi.org/10.1159/000287936)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/)[Major depressive disorder](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-major-depression/)

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