Longitudinal study comparing depressive female patients with and without premenstrual exacerbation

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether there are any differences in the clinical features of depression, personality and the G factor among women with and without premenstrual exacerbation (PE) of depression. Ninety-nine outpatients diagnosed with major depression (DSM-IV) were interviewed twice. At baseline, the patients were not taking medication. The 74 patients who achieved remission (Hamilton rating scale for depression ≤7) after 16 weeks were evaluated again through the 16-personality factor (16-PF) questionnaire (5(th) edition) and the D48 (or Dominos) test. No differences in clinical characteristics or prognosis were found between the two groups of women, except for the greater presence of seasonal features among women with PE. Women with PE also scored higher for self-control on the 16-PF and scored lower on the D48 (Domino) test. The logistic analysis showed that higher self-control scores increased the risk for PE in 51.3% of the sample, while higher scores on the D48 test decreased the risk in 8.6%. There were no differences between the two groups in the clinical features or prognosis of depression, except for the higher rates of seasonal features in the PE group. In contrast, differences were found in personality traits and the D48 between the two groups.