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The influence of premenstrual syndrome on ratings of anxiety in women with generalized anxiety disorder
Author(s) -
McLeod D. R.,
HoehnSaric R.,
Foster G. V.,
Hipsley P. A.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1993.tb03451.x
Subject(s) - menstrual cycle , generalized anxiety disorder , anxiety , follicular phase , psychology , clinical psychology , rating scale , psychiatry , medicine , developmental psychology , hormone
During the premenstrual and follicular phases of the menstrual cycle, 41 women who had generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) plus premenstrual syndrome (PMS) were assessed with psychiatric rating scales and compared with 21 GAD patients without PMS and 19 controls. The latter two groups were rated only once, in the typical open‐ended manner. Symptoms during both phases of the menstrual cycle were more severe in the GAD + PMS patients than in the controls and were more severe during the premenstruum. For the GAD + PMS patients, ratings obtained in the typical open‐ended manner were influenced by how patients felt during the premenstruum. Thus, the assessment of women with GAD + PMS may be complicated by cyclical fluctuations in symptom severity, and ratings obtained in the typical manner may be influenced disproportionately by how these patients feel premenstrually.