Survey study, 2008
Has the definition of PMS changed over time in different countries?
Yes, significantly. The understanding of PMS has changed from hormonal theories to psychiatric ones, and doctors in different countries have used different diagnostic approaches. There is still disagreement about whether PMDD (severe PMS) belongs in psychiatric manuals.
What they did
A researcher examined medical literature from France, Britain, and America from 1950 to 2004 to trace how doctors' theories about PMS, treatments, and diagnostic criteria changed over time and differed between countries.
What they found
In the 1970s, researchers in each country used different methods to study PMS, leading to different results. Since the 1980s, researchers have tried to standardise PMS diagnosis using daily questionnaires. Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD, the severe form) was added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (a psychiatric manual), but remains controversial. While researchers accept the diagnostic criteria, doctors in practice have been slower to adopt them.
What it means for you
The definition of PMS has shifted and is not universal. What counts as PMS depends partly on where you are and how doctors have been trained. This is a historical analysis of three English-speaking countries' medical literature, not a clinical study of women.
1950-2004
medical literature examined
3
countries studied
About the study
- Original title
- The biomedical standardization of premenstrual syndrome
- Authors
- Knaapen L, Weisz G
- Journal
- Studies in history and philosophy of biological and biomedical sciences
- Year
- 2008
- Study design
- Survey study
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsc.2007.12.009
Topics
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