The days before and after menstruation would particularly predispose women with a history of suicide to the risk of suicide.
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Perhaps you’ve already heard of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), a period when some women experience physical or mental distress before their period. Studies report a significant increase in psychiatric symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and hopelessness during the premenstrual phases, as well as emotional changes at different times of the menstrual cycle. There would even be an increase in suicide attempts during the “perimenstrual” phase, that is to say in the days before or after the arrival of menstruation.
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) wanted to study the influence of the menstrual cycle on 119 female psychiatric patients who had suicidal thoughts in the last month. The results published in theAmerican Journal of Psychiatry show that they are at increased risk of suicidal ideation or suicide planning during the perimenstrual phase. Patients rated their psychiatric symptoms (depression, hopelessness, anxiety, feelings of overwhelm, etc.) and suicidal ideation daily for at least one menstrual cycle.
Personalization of psychiatric care
“ This study establishes that the menstrual cycle can affect many people with suicidal thoughts, making it one of the only predictable recurring risk factors that has been identified to detect when a suicide attempt might occur. “, warns Tory Eisenlohr-Moul, associate professor of psychiatry at UIC and lead author of the study, in a press release. The clinical interest therefore lies in knowing when to concentrate interventions with suicidal patients.
