Anxiety, cognitive, and depressive assessment in adolescents with polycystic ovarian syndrome: a pilot study

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a major endocrine disorder afflicting women of reproductive age group. Women with PCOS suffer from depressive and anxiety disorders and they are more likely to be depressed compared to healthy women. However, no studies have assayed the perception of the clinical manifestations of PCOS in the adolescent group. In this study, we aimed at analyzing the anxiety, cognitive, and depressive states of adolescent girls with PCOS.

A total of 37 adolescents presenting to a tertiary care center in Lebanon and aged 14-18 years participated in the current study. Socio-economic and demographic data were collected and self-reported questionnaires (FSIQ, SDQ, SCARED, and BDI) were presented to the study group and analyzed.

The FSIQ levels among adolescents with PCOS were significantly lower compared to healthy controls. Surprisingly, there were no differences between the adolescent girls with PCOS and the healthy age-matched girls in the anxiety and depressive states and in psychiatric symptoms.

This is the first study to assay for cognitive, anxiety, and depressive states in adolescent girls. No major differences were found among both groups except in cognitive levels. However, long-term follow-up for proper management of psychiatric disorders is warranted. Moreover, the latency of androgens and its contribution to psychiatric illnesses in women with PCOS could be a major factor for development of psychiatric symptoms, rather than the hyperandrogenic levels per se.