Lifetime psychiatric illness and premenstrual syndromes.

The frequency of affective symptoms in most descriptions of premenstrual syndromes (PMS) suggests a potential etiologic link between menstrually-related mood changes and specific psychiatric disorders. The purpose of this study is to assess women presenting with "PMS" for lifetime psychiatric illness and PMS, according to rigorous diagnostic criteria comparable to those for "late luteal phase disorder," a proposed DSM-III-R diagnosis requiring further study. The women were interviewed with the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia Lifetime Version (SADS-L) and they kept prospective records of menstrual symptoms with the Moos Menstrual Distress Questionnaire - Form T (Moos MDQ-T). Of the 20 women evaluated, 85% had lifetime psychiatric illness and 30% had PMS. Careful psychiatric assessment is recommended in patients presenting with "PMS" as their chief complaint.