Survey study, 2023
Does having PMDD make a woman more likely to develop depression?
Women with PMDD are not inherently more prone to depression than other women, but how severe their PMDD symptoms are correlates with higher depression risk. Women with PMDD do tend to have more family history of mental illness.
What they did
Cross-sectional study comparing 32 women with PMDD (aged 18-40) from a psychiatry clinic to 30 healthy women without PMDD. Both groups completed depression sensitivity scales and premenstrual symptom assessments.
What they found
Depression sensitivity scores were similar between PMDD and healthy women. However, among women with PMDD, greater severity of PMDD symptoms was associated with higher depression susceptibility (correlation 0.460, p<0.01). PMDD women had significantly higher family history of PMDD and mental illness, and higher prior use of psychiatric medications.
What it means for you
If you have PMDD, your depression risk seems to depend on how severe your PMDD symptoms are rather than on having PMDD alone. Many women with PMDD have a family history of mental illness. The study is limited by its small size and because participants came from a psychiatry clinic rather than the general population.
32
Women with PMDD
30
Healthy controls
0.460
Correlation between PMDD severity and depression
About the study
- Original title
- The Effect of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder Diagnosis and Severity on Depression Sensitivity
- Authors
- Akyuz Cim EF, Cim N
- Journal
- The Journal of nervous and mental disease
- Year
- 2023
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 32
- What was tested
- None
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1097/nmd.0000000000001736
Topics
Related studies
Cohort study, 2026
What genetic factors are linked to premenstrual symptoms?
Systematic review, 2026
How often do mood disorders and PMS or PMDD occur together?
Review, 2024
What are the most effective treatments for PMDD?
Systematic review, 2024
How common is PMDD?
Systematic review, 2021
Are there hormone changes that could explain PMDD or depression in women?
Non-randomised trial, 2008
Can the Sheehan Disability Scale measure whether treatments work?