Survey study, 2007
Is depression common in people with PMS?
About 40% of people with PMS or anxiety had recurrent brief depression, even though most weren't being treated for it.
What they did
Survey of 384 patients with anxiety, PMS, or allergies from a general practice; 159 were interviewed. Doctors screened for depression using DSM-IV criteria and measured personality traits using standard questionnaires.
What they found
In patients with PMS or anxiety, 40% had recurrent brief depression compared to 21% of those with allergies. About half of those with depression had moderate to severe symptoms. People with depression had different personality scores than those without depression.
What it means for you
This shows that depression is common in people with PMS but often goes undiagnosed and untreated. The study was limited by being from just one general practice and not randomly selecting participants.
40%
had recurrent brief depression
159
patients interviewed
21%
with allergy had depression
About the study
- Original title
- Recurrent brief depression and personality traits in allergy, anxiety and premenstrual syndrome patients: a general practice survey
- Authors
- Williams WR, Richards JP, Ameen JR et al.
- Journal
- Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research
- Year
- 2007
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 1,094
- What was tested
- None (observational study of depression)
- Read the paper
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17325634/
Topics
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