81.1 Psychiatric Symptoms and Menstruation

Abstract

Menstruation can play an important, yet often underrecognized, role in the psychiatric presentations of adolescents. Research now indicates that psychiatric symptoms are not due to hormonal dysregulation or abnormal hormone levels; instead, they are more likely to be related to sensitivities to normal, episodic changes in hormone levels. The purpose of this presentation is to highlight the importance that menstruation can have on the psychiatric and physical presentations of our adolescent patients and discuss ways in which child and adolescent psychiatrists can support them during these periods.