Menstrually related symptom changes in women with schizophrenia

In this study, affective, somatic, behavioral and psychotic symptom ratings were collected daily in an attempt to evaluate the level and significance of menstrual cycle changes in a cohort of women with a DSM-III-R diagnosis of schizophrenia. Thirty-nine hospitalized women were examined longitudinally on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale and the retrospective and prospective versions of the Premenstrual Assessment Form. Results indicated that similar to normal and depressed women, the symptoms that were most exacerbated were affective and somatic in nature, rather than psychotic symptoms that are characteristic of schizophrenic symptomatology. In addition, the presence and exacerbation of the symptoms were not specific to the premenstrual phase. Some symptoms were reported menstrually and postmenstrually. Overall the findings did not confirm exacerbation of symptoms that are specific to schizophrenia. Rather, menstrually related changes seem to be a discrete phenomenon with its own symptom profile which may be superimposed on psychiatric disorders, both those with and without a predominant affective component. However, it should be noted that all subjects were on psychotropic medication that could have obscured fluctuations of psychotic symptoms. Further investigation and clearer guidelines are necessary for determining the ovulatory cycle and endocrine factors in this population before any conclusions can be made.