Meehan E, MacRae K
CMAJ. 1986 Sep 15;135(6):601-8.
A summary of the symptoms, prevalence and history of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is presented. The legal implications of PMS, particularly its use as a defence in criminal prosecutions and as an implicit factor in specific offences, are discussed by means of an analysis of Canadian legal cases, with reference to those in England and the United States. The authors offer suggestions on how physicians can make use of PMS in a courtroom more reliable. They conclude that PMS is unlikely to become a substantive criminal defence until the medical community more fully recognizes its significance. Although the role of PMS as a mitigating factor in sentencing may be illogical, the courts now recognize the syndrome in a legally and practically important manner.
本文介绍了经前综合征（PMS）的症状、患病率及病史。通过对加拿大法律案例的分析，并参考英国和美国的案例，探讨了经前综合征的法律影响，特别是其在刑事诉讼中作为辩护依据以及在特定犯罪中作为隐含因素的情况。作者就医生如何在法庭上更可靠地运用经前综合征提供了建议。他们得出结论，在医学界更充分认识到经前综合征的重要性之前，它不太可能成为实质性的刑事辩护依据。尽管经前综合征作为量刑时的减轻因素的作用可能不合逻辑，但法院现在以一种在法律和实践上都很重要的方式认可了这种综合征。
