Study, 1988
Do psychotherapists correctly diagnose premenstrual syndrome?
Most psychotherapists can correctly distinguish PMS from other conditions when symptoms are described as cyclical. However, some therapists still misdiagnose PMS cases.
What they did
Researchers created two identical case vignettes, differing only in whether symptoms were described as cyclical or not. They asked psychotherapists to diagnose the case, identify which clinical feature guided their diagnosis, and suggest a treatment.
What they found
Most therapists could distinguish the PMS case from the non-PMS case based on the cyclical nature of symptoms. However, the abstract notes that the number of therapists who misdiagnosed the case is a concern.
What it means for you
Psychotherapists generally recognize that cyclical symptoms are key to identifying PMS, but some still get it wrong. The study used written case descriptions rather than real patients, which may not reflect real-world diagnosis.
1988
Year of publication
About the study
- Original title
- Psychotherapist Diagnosis of Premenstrual Syndrome
- Authors
- Donald R. Atkinson, LINDA PEPPER KOZITZA
- Journal
- Journal of Counseling & Development
- Year
- 1988
- Study design
- Study
- What was tested
- Case vignettes describing cyclical versus noncyclical symptoms
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.1988.tb00905.x
Topics
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