---
title: How should doctors identify premenstrual tension syndrome? | Niyora
description: Doctors should look for the timing pattern: symptoms that appear before the period and disappear when it starts. PMS can exist alone or alongside other mental
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/diagnosing-premenstrual-tension-syndrome-1986/
---

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- How should doctors identify premenstrual tension syndrome?

Case report, 1986

# How should doctors identify premenstrual tension syndrome?

Doctors should look for the timing pattern: symptoms that appear before the period and disappear when it starts. PMS can exist alone or alongside other mental health conditions.

 Early or limited evidence

4 case examples of premenstrual tension syndrome

## What they did

Four case examples are presented showing how to diagnose premenstrual tension syndrome. The key diagnostic feature is a time-limited pattern tied to the menstrual cycle.

## What they found

The four cases show that premenstrual tension can coexist with other psychological problems, can make other conditions worse, or can be made worse by other conditions.

## What it means for you

Doctors need to look for the menstrual cycle timing pattern when women report fluctuating symptoms. PMS can overlap with other mental health problems, which makes diagnosis more complex.

4

case examples presented

## About the study

Original title Diagnosing premenstrual tension syndrome Authors Haskett RF, Steiner M Journal Hospital & community psychiatry Year 1986 Study design Case report What was tested None Read the paper [doi.org/10.1176/ps.37.1.33](https://doi.org/10.1176/ps.37.1.33)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/)

Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits.

Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor.

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