Periodic menstruation-linked psychosis of adolescence

Abstract

Clinical reports of a psychosis with distinct presentation affecting adolescent girls have appeared sporadically over more than a century, but its specificity has not been fully recognized. The literature is briefly reviewed and our experience with 11 such patients is presented. Periodic Menstruation-Linked Psychosis of Adolescence (PMLPA) appears to have a clinical picture which differs from that of any other form of psychosis, and to respond to different therapeutic regimes being at the same time totally unresponsive to traditional antipsychotic drugs. This makes the syndrome distinct, specific and highly treatable and therefore its recognition is of considerable clinical importance.

Key Words:

• adolescent psychosis
• menstrual psychosis
• periodic psychosis