Affective fluctuations during menstruation have drawn considerable interest from researchers for a long time.1 Data indicates increased frequency of depression associated with menstrual period in adolescence,2 though there is limited information about the differences in the course or symptoms of bipolar disorder associated with menstrual period in adolescents. The question of the direction of mood shifts in the course of bipolar disorder with specific phases of menstrual cycle has been raised, albeit with limited and inconsistent results.3 We present a case of an adolescent female with cyclic affective changes akin to rapid cycling bipolar disorder starting in the premenstrual (luteal) period and subsiding with onset of menstruation, and we try to explore the biological underpinnings of inherent propensity for the development of bipolar disorder using quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG)
There was high spectral power in low frequency (theta band) over the right temporal region which was further corroborated by LORETA and revealed high signal density over the right temporal region for the same frequency band
A review3 presented findings of 24 prospective studies of affective fluctuations during the menstrual cycle. In most cases the authors found that negative moods marked by irritability, restlessness, anxiety, tension, migraine, sleep disturbance, and impaired concentration occurred more often during the premenstrual and menstrual phases than at other times in the cycle. There were only a few cases of positive moods—such as an increased feeling of well-being, elation, pleasantness, and activation—during the follicular and midcycle phases.3 This case presents with positive mood state, though irritability and headache were present as seen in premenstrual syndrome (PMS). This is an atypical presentation of PMS as opposed to the more common occurrence of elated moods during midcycle; in our case it occurred in premenstrual phase.7 It has been reported that whereas menstrual problems appear to occur more frequently in younger than in older women, premenstrual symptoms occur more often in older women. This suggests a relation between age and menstrual symptoms.
The overlap in symptomatology between PMS and cyclothymia, often considered to be a variant of manic-depressive illness, has given rise to therapeutic trials of lithium carbonate in women with PMS, with mixed results.14 Lithium treatment has been beneficial in controlling premenstrual affective changes, and this led us to use the same in our case.
Rapid Cycling Associated With Menstrual Periods in an Adolescent: Electrophysiological Underpinnings for Bipolarity
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