ABSTRACT
The premenstrual syndrome is a hormone deficiency disease. The term is a global one "which implies changes in mood, behaviour and physical symptoms in relation to the menstrual cycle, usually with an increase in intensity of symptoms premenstrually and a diminution in intensity with the onset of menstruation." The premenstrual syndrome includes a wide variety of symptoms' which regularly recur in the same phase of each menstrual cycle, followed by a symptom-free phase. Women suffering from premenstrual tension constituted fifty-three percent of the attempted suicides, forty-seven percent of those admitted for acute depression, and forty-five percent of those admitted for schizophrenia. The woman found guilty of an offense arising from the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, or perhaps "not guilty by reason of hormonal impairment," should be committed to a proper medical institution during her paramenstruum—and permitted freedom for the remaining portion of the month.
