Review, 1989
Are mental health conditions linked to the reproductive cycle?
Psychiatric disorders like PMS and postpartum depression are linked to the menstrual cycle and pregnancy. But research on PMS is still early and many questions remain.
What they did
The authors reviewed published research on psychiatric disorders linked to pregnancy, childbirth, and changes in reproductive function throughout women's lives.
What they found
They identified four syndromes: postpartum depression (which includes three separate types, with the most severe being similar to major depression), PMS, depression after hysterectomy, and involutional melancholia. The rate of depression after hysterectomy is not higher than at other times in life. Research on PMS's causes and treatment is still in early stages.
What it means for you
Four psychiatric conditions are linked to reproductive cycles. PMS is one of them, but research on how it develops is still early because studies have had methodological problems. The limitation is that this is a review of existing research rather than new findings.
About the study
- Original title
- Psychiatric syndromes linked to reproductive function in women: a review of current knowledge
- Authors
- Gitlin MJ, Pasnau RO
- Journal
- The American journal of psychiatry
- Year
- 1989
- Study design
- Review
- What was tested
- None
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1176/ajp.146.11.1413
Topics
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