Effects of Premenstrual Syndrome on Mental Health

Premenstrual syndrome is a cyclic occurrence with a prevalence rate of 50-80% which does not include undiagnosed cases. The most commonly reported symptoms of PMS include anger, irritability, sadness, anxiety and insomnia. These can severely impair a woman’s functioning and deteriorate her quality of life. The concept of Premenstrual Syndrome requires more research, especially in the aetiology, which can allow better interventions to be developed which can improve the quality of life lived by a woman. Thus this paper aims to explore the concept of PMS, relative to its comorbidity with mental health disorders, namely affective disorders and PMDD. First, the concept of PMS is explored including its effects through a biopsychosocial perspective. Subsequently, PMS is contextualised with respect to its similarities with affective disorders, PMDD and other mental health issues followed by established theories and concepts. Thereafter, the methodology of this paper is presented and the aggregate of all literature recovered is shown in a tabular manner justifying the conclusion deduced. Ultimately, applicability and relative merits are discussed.