---
title: Do women who think they have PMS often have other psychiatric conditions too?
description: In this very small study, most women who came in complaining of PMS had a lifetime history of some psychiatric illness, and only a minority actually met stric
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/lifetime-psychiatric-illness-and-premenstrual-syndromes-1991/
---

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- Do women who think they have PMS often have other psychiatric conditions too?

Cohort study, 1991

# Do women who think they have PMS often have other psychiatric conditions too?

In this very small study, most women who came in complaining of PMS had a lifetime history of some psychiatric illness, and only a minority actually met strict criteria for PMS. This suggests careful psychiatric evaluation is needed, but the study is far too small to generalize.

 Early or limited evidence

20 women who presented with a complaint of PMS.

## What they did

Researchers studied 20 women who came in with a complaint of "PMS." They were interviewed with a structured lifetime psychiatric interview (SADS-L) and also kept daily symptom diaries (Moos MDQ-T) to check whether they actually met strict criteria for PMS.

## What they found

Of the 20 women, 85% had a lifetime psychiatric illness, but only 30% actually met the strict criteria for PMS based on their symptom diaries.

## What it means for you

Many women who believe they have PMS may actually have an underlying psychiatric condition instead of, or alongside, true PMS, so careful assessment matters. The study is extremely small (20 women), had no control group, and cannot show cause and effect.

20

Women studied

85%

Had lifetime psychiatric illness

30%

Actually met strict PMS criteria

## About the study

Original title Lifetime psychiatric illness and premenstrual syndromes Authors Chang G, Hutchinson-Williams KA Journal Connecticut medicine Year 1991 Study design Cohort study Participants 20 Read the paper [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1790705/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1790705/)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Schizophrenia and psychosis](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-psychosis/)

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

## Related studies

Review, 2024

What is premenstrual exacerbation and how does it affect different psychiatric illnesses?

Cohort study, 2023

Are PMS symptoms linked to genetic factors for psychiatric disorders?

Systematic review, 2022

Do mental health disorders get worse during the menstrual cycle?

Review, 2002

What treatments work best for PMS and PMDD?

Review, 1989

Are mental health conditions linked to the reproductive cycle?

Study, 2026

Do anxiety and depression get worse before your period if you already have a mental health condition?

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