---
title: Does cognitive behaviour therapy help premenstrual dysphoric symptoms?
description: Both cognitive behaviour therapy and a comparison treatment improved anxiety, depression, negative thoughts and physical symptoms. It's unclear how much came
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-efficacy-of-cognitive-behaviour-therapy-in-treating-premenstrual-dysphoric-1995/
---

- [Niyora](https://niyora.com/)
- [Research](https://niyora.com/research/)
- [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/)
- Does cognitive behaviour therapy help premenstrual dysphoric symptoms?

Non-randomised trial, 1995

# Does cognitive behaviour therapy help premenstrual dysphoric symptoms?

Both cognitive behaviour therapy and a comparison treatment improved anxiety, depression, negative thoughts and physical symptoms. It's unclear how much came from the therapy itself since both groups improved similarly.

 Early or limited evidence

24 women in cognitive behaviour therapy, 9 in comparison group

## What they did

24 women received cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) focused on changing thought patterns. 9 women received information-focused therapy with relaxation training and lifestyle advice.

## What they found

Both groups improved significantly in anxiety, depression, negative thoughts and physical changes. There were no clear differences between the CBT group and the comparison group.

## What it means for you

CBT may help premenstrual symptoms, but the comparison group improved equally, so we can't be sure the therapy itself caused the improvement. The study suggests a woman's beliefs about her symptoms matter.

24

women receiving CBT

9

women in comparison group

## About the study

Original title The efficacy of cognitive behaviour therapy in treating premenstrual dysphoric changes Authors Christensen AP, Oei TP Journal Journal of affective disorders Year 1995 Study design Non-randomised trial Participants 24 What was tested Cognitive behaviour therapy (cognitive restructuring and assertion training) vs information-focused therapy Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/0165-0327(94)00073-i](https://doi.org/10.1016/0165-0327(94)00073-i)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)[Cognitive behavioral therapy](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-cbt/)[Diet and nutrition](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-diet/)[Stigma, attitudes and culture](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-stigma-culture/)

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

Review, 2024

What are the most effective treatments for PMDD?

Cohort study, 2023

Is PMDD a valid medical diagnosis?

Randomised trial, 2019

Does online cognitive behavioral therapy help women with PMDD?

Review, 2017

What causes PMDD and what are the best treatments?

Review, 2015

What do we know about PMS and PMDD and how are they treated?

Review, 2013

What treatments work best for PMDD?

Ask AI about this page

Copy prompt

ChatGPT

↗

Claude

↗

Perplexity

↗

Google AI Mode

↗

Grok

↗