Essential Reads: Are Premenstrual Mood Symptoms a Risk Factor for Suicide?
Women with premenstrual mood disorders face significantly higher risk of suicidal ideation and behavior, highlighting the need for careful assessment and targeted prevention.
Are Women with PMDD at Increased Risk for Suicidality?
In a recent meta-analysis, Yan and colleagues looked at the prevalence of suicidal ideation among women diagnosed with PMDD.
Premenstrual Worsening of Symptoms in Women with Psychotic Disorders
Clinically we see that many women with major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder experience worsening of their symptoms prior to the onset of menses. We have less data on the impact of menstrual cycle on [...]
The Etiology of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder: 5 Interwoven Pieces
The following post was first published in Current Psychiatry, published September 2017, Vol. 16, No. 9, p. 20-28. Check out the article on Current Psychiatry or listen to Dr. Raffi discuss treatment of menstrual–related mood and anxiety [...]
Adjunctive Treatment with Medroxyprogesterone in Women with Acute Mania
Women with bipolar disorder often experience fluctuating mood symptoms across the menstrual cycle, typically reporting an exacerbation of symptoms during the premenstrual phase of the cycle (Rasgon et al, 2003, 2005). Â Other studies have indicated [...]
Metformin May Help to Treat Menstrual Irregularities in Women Treated with Antipsychotics
Menstrual irregularity is a common side effect of antipsychotic treatment in women, occurring more commonly in those treated with risperidone and the older antipsychotic medications. New research presented at the APA earlier this month indicated that the addition of metformin at 500 mg bid resolved menstrual irregularities in most women treated with antipsychotic medications. (Metformin is a medication used alone or with other medications, including insulin, to treat type 2 diabetes.) In addition, women receiving metformin lost an average 2.4 kg of weight after 6 months of treatment.
Menstrual Cycle Irregularity in Women with Bipolar Disorder
Preliminary reports have suggested that menstrual irregularity may occur more commonly in women with mood disorders than in the general population. What has been unclear, however, is whether these menstrual cycle irregularities reflect an underlying disruption of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis in women with mood disorders or are caused by the psychotropic medications used to treat these psychiatric disorders.In a recent study, Dr. Hadine Joffe of the Center for Women’s Mental Health and her colleagues assessed the prevalence of menstrual cycle dysfunction in 3 groups of women: (1) with bipolar disorder, (2) with unipolar depression, or (3) with no psychiatric illness (Joffe 2006).