title: Prospective assessment of menstrually related mood disorders.
abstract: For prospective longitudinal confirmation of menstrually related mood changes, the authors selected a 100-mm visual analogue scale for twice-daily self-rating of mood. The advantages of this method are simplicity; increased compliance; ease of graphic presentation, allowing evaluation of severity and relationship to menstruation; and greater uniformity among studies of menstrually related syndromes. In a preliminary application of this measure to 20 women with self-diagnosed premenstrual syndrome, eight (40%) had a mean depression rating during the week before menstruation that was 30% higher than during the week after cessation of menstruation.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D011293:Premenstrual Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011996:Records