The etiology of some menstrual disorders: a gynecological and psychiatric issue

Perimenstrual psychiatric hospitalization: case report and literature review

Despite the fact that menstrual psychosis has been described since the eighteenth century, there are only about 80 cases reported in the literature. The knowledge and awareness about the disorder remain poor, leading to inaccurate diagnoses and suboptimal treatment. This is the case of a 25-year-old woman with recurrent hospitalizations for mental status changes including psychotic phenomena and catatonia that appeared to follow a cyclical pattern that correlated with her menstrual periods, with complete symptom resolution and return to her usual level of functioning between episodes despite continued treatment with antipsychotic medications. This pattern remitted only after hormonal therapy was initiated. Through this case report, the authors review the literature on the menstrual psychoses, exemplified by this case, and discuss treatment options and prognosis. Menstrual psychosis is an underrecognized condition where psychotic symptoms recur cyclically with menses. Given the poor response that this entity shows to antipsychotic treatment, hormonal therapies have a prominent role.

Is menstrual Psychosis a Forgotten Entity?

The connection between menstruation and psychosis has been recognized since the 18^th Century. However, there are few case reports available in modern times describing about 30 patients with this condition. The psychosis may occur in the premenstrual phase in some patients and in others it begins with the onset of menses. Polymorphic psychosis is the commonly described clinical picture in these patients with an admixture of mood symptoms and psychotic symptoms. We describe a 42-year old lady who developed psychotic symptoms with the onset of her menses. The patient had irritability and aggression, persecutory ideas, hallucinatory behavior, increased religiosity, formal thought disorder, disorganized behavior and poor self-care lasting for about 20 days after which she will spontaneously remit for about 10 days till the onset of her next menses. These symptoms began about 13 years after her last childbirth and were present in this cyclical manner for the last seven years. She was admitted in view of gross disorganization and was treated with 4 mg per day of risperidone. She did not develop symptoms with onset of her next menstrual period and was discharged. She maintained well on the prophylaxis for a period of three months. After that, she discontinued medications and had a relapse of symptoms lasting the first two weeks of her menstrual cycle and remained well for about two weeks thereafter. Hormonal assays did not reveal abnormal levels of gonadal hormones. We discuss the association between menstrual cycles and the potential association of psychosis with estrogen levels. Various conditions that lead to fluctuation in estrogen levels, such as menopause, postpartum period as well as post-oopherectomy period have been described to lead to a risk for psychotic symptoms. Similarly, the cyclical changes in estrogen levels during the course of a menstrual cycle leads to psychosis in some women.

Catamenial psychosis in an adolescent girl

We report the case of an adolescent girl who was 14 years old at initial presentation. A shy, immature and timid individual, she began to have recurring, progressive episodes characterised by insomnia, paranoia, distorted thinking and mood instability with a mix of depressive and manic-like symptoms. An extensive medical work up was unrevealing. Her family noted a pattern that coincided with her menstrual cycle. An endocrine consult was obtained, and the diagnosis of catamenial psychosis was performed. After treatment with leuprolide, resulting in a shutdown of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, the patient's symptoms were resolved completely.

Health care behaviours and beliefs in Hasidic Jewish populations: a systematic review of the literature

Cultural issues impact on health care, including individuals' health care behaviours and beliefs. Hasidic Jews, with their strict religious observance, emphasis on kabbalah, cultural insularity and spiritual leader, their Rebbe, comprise a distinct cultural group. The reviewed studies reveal that Hasidic Jews may seek spiritual healing and incorporate religion in their explanatory models of illness; illness attracts stigma; psychiatric patients' symptomatology may have religious content; social and cultural factors may challenge health care delivery. The extant research has implications for clinical practice. However, many studies exhibited methodological shortcomings with authors providing incomplete analyses of the extent to which findings are authentically Hasidic. High-quality research is required to better inform the provision of culturally competent care to Hasidic patients.

Psychiatric disorders related to menstrual bleeding among an ultra-orthodox population: case series and literature review

The relationship between menstrual cycle and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has been documented in the past and is related to sexual hormone changes. In the ultra-orthodox Jewish population menstrual bleeding is associated both with meticulous rituals of cleanliness and with stressful meanings related to sin, impurity and punishment. Those aspects of the menstrual cycle can be related to specific OCD symptoms among ultra-orthodox women. The current study presents three cases related to the development of obsessive-compulsive symptoms in relation to the menstrual cycle among ultra-orthodox women, and discusses the biological and social-cultural basis of the disorder.