ABSTRACT
This chapter evaluates the studies of psychiatric morbidity in premenstrual syndrome in an attempt to determine whether this illness is an independent entity or the manifestation of major mood disorder. Reproductive-related hormonal changes are considered an important factor for the well-established increase in the prevalence of major depression and other mood disorders in women from early adolescence until a few years after the cessation of menses. The power of premenstrual dysphoria as a predictor of future major depressive episodes was prospectively evaluated by investigators from the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University, New York. The point prevalence of seasonal affective disorder was much higher among women with premenstrual dysphoria than nonclinical control subjects. Patients with and without premenstrual dysphoria were similar with regard to age, number of pregnancies, mood polarity, and global seasonal variation of the symptoms. Biological data were obtained with polymerase chain reaction amplification of genomic material isolated from nucleated blood cells.
