--- title: What is cyclic menstrual psychosis in adolescents? | Niyora description: This case describes a 14-year-old girl with psychotic symptoms including confusion, delusional ideas and physical restlessness that occurred in a repeating cy url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/she-gets-out-of-control-when-shes-on-her-period-cyclic-menstrual-psychosis-a-2022/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - What is cyclic menstrual psychosis in adolescents? Case report, 2022 # What is cyclic menstrual psychosis in adolescents? This case describes a 14-year-old girl with psychotic symptoms including confusion, delusional ideas and physical restlessness that occurred in a repeating cycle linked to her menstruation. The symptoms went away when her period began. Early or limited evidence One 14-year-old girl with childhood history of epileptic seizures, not currently treated. ## What they did Doctors described one 14-year-old girl with a childhood history of epileptic seizures who presented to the emergency department with psychotic symptoms coinciding with her menstrual cycle. Imaging tests and neurological exams ruled out physical causes. ## What they found The girl had physical restlessness, excessive talking, confused speech, delusional ideas of harm, no sleep for several days and talking to herself. These symptoms appeared a few days before menstruation. The pattern repeated over recent months, with symptoms resolving when her period began. Antipsychotic medication helped her physical agitation but did not appear directly related to the symptoms going away. ## What it means for you This case shows that some adolescents can experience psychotic symptoms that repeat with their menstrual cycle and resolve without long-term medication. This is an extremely rare condition. A key limitation is that this is one girl, so we cannot know whether antipsychotics are truly unhelpful or whether outcomes vary from person to person. The connection to her childhood seizures is also unclear. 14 girl's age in years ## About the study Original title “She gets out of control when she’s on her period”. Cyclic menstrual psychosis. A case report Authors López Rodrigo M, Osca Oliver A, Palomo Monge M et al. Journal European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists Year 2022 Study design Case report What was tested Imaging tests, neurological evaluation, and antipsychotic medication. Open access Yes Read the paper [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9567322/](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9567322/) Original abstract Introduction: Cyclical psychosis related to the menstrual cycle is an entity not included in the DSM-V and ICD-10 classifications, however there are data collected in the literature on cases that agree with this diagnosis. When reviewing cases, psychotic symptoms of sudden onset are described a few days before menstruation, with the symptoms resolving in a self-limited way when the bleeding ends. The end of psychotic symptoms is not directly related to the use of antipsychotics. The complete clinical picture is nonspecific and fluctuating. With acute onset, short duration, cyclical repetition, with psychotic symptoms (mutism, confusion, delusions, hallucinations) or a manic episode. We present the case of a 14-year-old adolescent with a history of epileptic seizures in childhood, without current treatment. She goes to the emergency department brought by her father and brother presenting psychomotor agitation, verbiage, flight of ideas, loss of the common thread in the speech, referring delusional ideas with experience of harm. His relatives report that he has not slept for a few days, with soliloquies, unmotivated laughter. They refer that the picture has been repeated in recent months during the days of menstruation. Objectives: Knowing a diagnosis not included in the current classifications. Methods: Imaging tests and neurological evaluations rule out organic picture. Results: Given the periodicity of the condition, the symptoms are self-limiting at the end of menstruation, without a clear relationship with psychopharmacological treatment (although agitation improves). Conclusions: Cyclical menstrual psychosis approximates affective disorders, especially bipolar disorder in adolescence. The role of psychotropic and hormonal treatment is debatable. Disclosure: No significant relationships. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Menstrual psychosis](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-menstrual-psychosis/)[Bipolar disorder](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-bipolar/)[Schizophrenia and psychosis](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-psychosis/)[Epilepsy](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-epilepsy/)[Relationships and partners](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-relationships/)[Adolescents and young people](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-adolescents/) 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. ## Related studies Case report, 2023 What is menstrual psychosis? Survey study, 2021 Can a menstrual cycle trigger psychiatric episodes in teenagers? Case report, 2013 Can severe mood changes around a period be an early sign of bipolar disorder? Survey study, 2005 Can menstruation trigger severe mental illness like psychosis? Review, 1998 What does research say about diagnosing and treating PMS and PMDD? Guideline, 2014 What antidepressant should doctors use to treat depression and premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗