With the increasing number of mental illnesses, and the often wide-ranging symptoms that can be diagnosed as an illness, it's no wonder many are beginning to question how many mental illnesses are really illnesses.
A new study has found that some female psychological problems are actually due to hormones, not psychological disorders, and can be treated physically with good results. This removes the problems from the arena of psychiatry and begs the question: How many of those illnesses being diagnosed are really just part of the normal hormone changes associated with "female problems"?
Menstruation can increase anxiety, impulse-buying and risk of injury
The study, which was reported in Neurobiology of Learning and Memory last month, shows that some suspected mental health problems can be prevented if specific timing during a menstrual cycle is targeted for treatment. In their study, they found an increased number of diagnoses during ovulation, for example, usually for anxiety-related disorders.
The research also opens new avenues for study and possible future diagnosis options. This is not the first study to link women's menstrual cycles with illness and injury, as others have found that female athletes are more prone to injury during their cycle and even allergies can be exacerbated by menstruation. Psychological changes have been noted with women being more prone to impulse-buying during their period.
More research is needed, but it appears that some mental illnesses may only be symptoms of a larger issue as hormones become imbalanced during a woman's cycle.
