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Over the past year, a 27-year-old female has had marked feelings of anxiety, tension, and irritability during the week preceding most menstrual cycles, accompanied by extreme fatigue and insomnia. She has regularly missed several days of work each month because of fatigue. She has no previous history of any health or mental problems, and within a few days of the onset of her period she is back to normal. Which one of the following is true concerning this condition? (check one)
A. Neither biologic nor psychological factors play a part in this condition
B. This condition is a variation of a depressive disorder
C. Oral contraceptive pills are consistently effective in the treatment of this condition
D. This problem can be effectively treated with serotonergic antidepressants
E. Alprazolam (Xanax) is an effective first-line agent for treatment of this condition
D. This problem can be effectively treated with SSRI,S
Women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) experience a cluster of mood, cognitive, and physical symptoms that recur in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle and remit in the follicular phase. Multiple rigorously conducted, placebo-controlled, randomized trials have consistently shown the value of SSRIs, especially if administered during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. Among women whose mothers have been affected by PMS, 70% have PMS themselves, compared with 37% of women whose mothers have not been affected. Because many patients with PMDD do not have depressive symptoms, this disorder should not be considered as simply a depressive variant. Some studies have shown that symptoms actually worsen with the administration of oral contraceptive pills. Because of the potential for drug dependence, high-potency benzodiazepines such as alprazolam should be used only as second-line drug therapy if an optimal response is not achieved with an SSRI. Ref: Johnson SR: Premenstrual syndrome therapy. Clin Obstet Gynecol 1998;41(2):405-421. 2) Bhatia SC, Bhatia SK: Diagnosis and treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Am Fam Physician 2002;