The purpose of this study is to identify and describe the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Women who experience PMS symptoms will complete clinical interviews, self-rating scales, and evaluations of mood and endocrine function. A subgroup of women with severe PMS (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder or PMDD) will be offered additional research studies that focus on: 1) identifying the endocrine changes that may be responsible for changes in mood and behavior during the premenstrual period, 2) evaluating treatments for PMS symptoms, and/or 3) identifying genetic factors in women with and without PMS. Women with recurrent brief depression will also be recruited to serve as a comparison group.

Population

This study will enroll up to 700 females with menstrually-related mood or behavioral difficulties and 900 healthy volunteers.

Brief Title

Study of Premenstrual Syndrome and Premenstrual Dysphoria

Official Title

The Evaluation of Women With Menstrually Regulated Mood and Behavioral Disorders

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to identify and describe the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome <br /> (PMS). <br /> <br /> Women who experience PMS symptoms will complete clinical interviews, self-rating scales, and <br /> evaluations of mood and endocrine function. A subgroup of women with severe PMS (Premenstrual <br /> Dysphoric Disorder or PMDD) will be offered additional research studies that focus on: 1) <br /> identifying the endocrine changes that may be responsible for changes in mood and behavior <br /> during the premenstrual period, 2) evaluating treatments for PMS symptoms, and/or 3) <br /> identifying genetic factors in women with and without PMS. Women with recurrent brief <br /> depression will also be recruited to serve as a comparison group.

Detailed Description

The purpose of this screening protocol is to identify a population of women who experience
menstrually-related mood or behavior difficulties and to describe the symptoms in this group
and their relationship to the menses. This will be accomplished by means of clinical
interviews, self-rating scales, and periodic evaluation of mood and endocrine function. We
further wish to identify and recruit a subgroup of women with menstrually-related mood
disorder for participation in specific neuroendocrine/neurophysiologic studies (companion
protocols) in an attempt to identify endocrinologic or physiologic measures that might: 1) be
associated with the discrete changes in mood and behavior; 2) distinguish this group from a
group of age-matched controls; 3) allow for further subgroup definition on the basis of
predicted response to pharmacological intervention. Finally, we wish to identify a group of
women with recurrent brief depression, who will serve as an additional control group for the
patients with menstrual cycle-related mood disorders.

Outcome Measures

Outcome measures are the tests that investigators perform to prove whether or not a treatment being tested in a clinical trial is having any effect.