The menstrual cycle: an overlooked vital sign in psychiatry?
We argue that psychiatry has overlooked a significant modifiable risk factor for mental illness in female patients: cyclical symptoms associated with the menstrual cycle. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder has recently been included in the International Classification of Diseases-11, while there is gro...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMJ Publishing Group
2025-03-01
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| Series: | BMJ Mental Health |
| Online Access: | https://mentalhealth.bmj.com/content/28/1/e301463.full |
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| _version_ | 1850027185088233472 |
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| author | Ellen Golightly Stephanie Allan Thomas J Reilly Katie FM Marwick |
| author_facet | Ellen Golightly Stephanie Allan Thomas J Reilly Katie FM Marwick |
| author_sort | Ellen Golightly |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We argue that psychiatry has overlooked a significant modifiable risk factor for mental illness in female patients: cyclical symptoms associated with the menstrual cycle. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder has recently been included in the International Classification of Diseases-11, while there is growing evidence that menstrual cycle stage can impact mental health symptoms transdiagnostically and influence important outcomes such as suicide or admission to hospital. Intervention is possible using existing widely available hormonal treatments. Asking patients about the relationship between their menstrual cycle and mental health is an opportunity to improve diagnosis and treatment that should no longer be neglected. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-28908e809e174fe596b3c91c77abe0f8 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2755-9734 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Mental Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-28908e809e174fe596b3c91c77abe0f82025-08-20T03:00:18ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Mental Health2755-97342025-03-0128110.1136/bmjment-2024-301463The menstrual cycle: an overlooked vital sign in psychiatry?Ellen Golightly0Stephanie Allan1Thomas J Reilly2Katie FM Marwick3Chalmers Centre for Sexual and Reproductive Health, NHS Lothian, Edinburgh, UKSchool of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UKDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UKDivision of Psychiatry, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UKWe argue that psychiatry has overlooked a significant modifiable risk factor for mental illness in female patients: cyclical symptoms associated with the menstrual cycle. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder has recently been included in the International Classification of Diseases-11, while there is growing evidence that menstrual cycle stage can impact mental health symptoms transdiagnostically and influence important outcomes such as suicide or admission to hospital. Intervention is possible using existing widely available hormonal treatments. Asking patients about the relationship between their menstrual cycle and mental health is an opportunity to improve diagnosis and treatment that should no longer be neglected.https://mentalhealth.bmj.com/content/28/1/e301463.full |
| spellingShingle | Ellen Golightly Stephanie Allan Thomas J Reilly Katie FM Marwick The menstrual cycle: an overlooked vital sign in psychiatry? BMJ Mental Health |
| title | The menstrual cycle: an overlooked vital sign in psychiatry? |
| title_full | The menstrual cycle: an overlooked vital sign in psychiatry? |
| title_fullStr | The menstrual cycle: an overlooked vital sign in psychiatry? |
| title_full_unstemmed | The menstrual cycle: an overlooked vital sign in psychiatry? |
| title_short | The menstrual cycle: an overlooked vital sign in psychiatry? |
| title_sort | menstrual cycle an overlooked vital sign in psychiatry |
| url | https://mentalhealth.bmj.com/content/28/1/e301463.full |
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