Menarche, puberty and psychiatric disorders* (original) (raw)

Earlier Puberty as a Predictor of Later Onset of Schizophrenia in Women

American Journal of Psychiatry, 2014

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether puberty plays a mediating role in onset of schizophrenia. The hypothesis was that there is an inverse relation between age at puberty (menarche) and age at onset in women. Method: Competent and consenting individuals with DSM-IV-defined schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and their mothers underwent a 45-minute interview to ascertain age at first odd behavior, age at first psychotic symptoms, age at first hospitalization, and ages at various indices of puberty. Information about substance use, head injury, perinatal trauma, and first-degree family history of schizophrenia was also obtained. Results: In the women (N=35), the earlier the age at menarche, the later the ages at both the first psychotic symptoms and the first hospitalization. There was no significant association between puberty and onset in the men (N= 45). Other than gender, none of the examined variables played a role in the interaction of puberty and onset of illness. Conclusions: In women, early puberty (whether through hormonal or social influence) was associated with later onset of schizophrenia. This effect was not found in men; in fact, the trend was in the opposite direction.

Mental health problems of Iranian female adolescents and its association with pubertal development: a nationwide study

Acta medica Iranica

Mental health problems including emotional and behavioral problems during puberty may be under influence of different risk factors including cultures, living in urban or rural areas and ethnic factors which may vary between different countries. The main aim of this study is to investigate the profile of emotional and behavioral problems and the role of factors such as age, stage of puberty, ethnicity, rurality and living in urban area, as risk factors in Iranian girls. As a part of a large national study we evaluated the emotional and behavioral problems in different stages of puberty in a community sample of Iranian adolescent girls from public schools that were selected by clustered random sampling method. In all subjects, demographic characteristics, and pubertal stages were measured. Emotional and behavioral problems were evaluated using Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). The associations of age, pubertal development indices, socioeconomic and demographic factors wit...

Gender-related endocrinological dysfunction and mental disorders

Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 2010

The association between endocrine and neuropsychiatric disorders was established long ago, with solid evidence. According to a multidimensional model of mental disorders, one can conceptualize sex and gender-related endocrinological dysfunctions as a cluster of risk factors included in the biological determinants of those disorders.

Puberty onset of gender differences in rates of depression: a developmental, epidemiologic and neuroendocrine perspective

Journal of Affective Disorders, 1993

A dramatic feature of the epidemiology of depression is the appearance of a 2: 1 female excess of depression during adolescence. In childhood, rates of depression either do not differ between boys and girls or show a slight excess in boys. In this paper we review a number of lines of evidence that implicate the physical and hormonal developments of puberty in this change. We also argue that the analysis of pubertal change in the etiology of depression must take into account the fact that the causation of depression is almost certainly a complex process. In understanding such a process we suggest that developmental epidemiological studies will be of particular value.

Effects of age and pubertal status on depression in a large clinical sample

Development and Psychopathology, 1992

The rate of depression rises overall between childhood and adolescence, and by early adulthood depression is twice as common in women as in men. However, study results are conflicting as to the relative rates of depression in prepubertal boys and girls, and it is not clear whether the rates in adolescent boys rise, fall, or remain steady. It is also uncertain when in adolescence the female preponderance emerges. A number of studies point to effects of the biological developments of puberty as having an important place in these changes. From a developmental point of view, the fact that the hormonal and physical changes of puberty differ in boys and girls, mean that a “biological explanation” fits in well with the gender differentiation in rates of depression across puberty. In a sample of 3,519 8–16-year-old psychiatric patients, both boys and girls shared increasing levels of depression across this age range, but the rate of increase was faster in girls. There was no difference in t...

Psychiatric comorbidity in gender dysphoric adolescents

Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2011

Background: This study examined psychiatric comorbidity in adolescents with a gender identity disorder (GID). We focused on its relation to gender, type of GID diagnosis and eligibility for medical interventions (puberty suppression and cross-sex hormones). Methods: To ascertain DSM-IV diagnoses, the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC) was administered to parents of 105 gender dysphoric adolescents. Results: 67.6% had no concurrent psychiatric disorder. Anxiety disorders occurred in 21%, mood disorders in 12.4% and disruptive disorders in 11.4% of the adolescents. Compared with natal females (n = 52), natal males (n = 53) suffered more often from two or more comorbid diagnoses (22.6% vs. 7.7%, p = .03), mood disorders (20.8% vs. 3.8%, p = .008) and social anxiety disorder (15.1% vs. 3.8%, p = .049). Adolescents with GID considered to be 'delayed eligible' for medical treatment were older [15.6 years (SD = 1.6) vs. 14.1 years (SD = 2.2), p = .001], their intelligence was lower [91.6 (SD = 12.4) vs. 99.1 (SD = 12.8), p = .011] and a lower percentage was living with both parents (23% vs. 64%, p < .001). Although the two groups did not differ in the prevalence of psychiatric comorbidity, the respective odds ratios ('delayed eligible' adolescents vs. 'immediately eligible' adolescents) were >1.0 for all psychiatric diagnoses except specific phobia. Conclusions: Despite the suffering resulting from the incongruence between experienced and assigned gender at the start of puberty, the majority of gender dysphoric adolescents do not have co-occurring psychiatric problems. Delayed eligibility for medical interventions is associated with psychiatric comorbidity although other factors are of importance as well.

Emotional and behavioral problems of 9–18-year-old girls and its relationship to menarche age

Middle East Current Psychiatry, 2020

Background Adolescence is associated with rapid changes in behavioral patterns which affect the functioning of the person in adulthood. The purpose of this research was to study the emotional and behavioral problems of 9–18-year-old girls and their relationship to menarche age. This cross-sectional study was done on girls aged 9–18 years old in Shiraz city. A cluster sampling method was used to select about 2000 students in 2015. Then, a questionnaire including demographic characteristics and strengths and difficulties (SDQ) was completed for each of them. The SPSS software was used to analyze the collected data via descriptive statistics and chi-square tests. Results Among the 2000 tested samples, the highest mean and standard deviation (4.2 ± 2.25) were related to emotional symptoms. Most of them (960 individuals = 48%) scored abnormally. The mean and standard deviation was 15.61 ± 5.89, and the highest value was 33. The highest mean and standard deviation (16.69 ± 5.4) ranged fro...

Pubertal changes in hormone levels and depression in girls

Psychological Medicine, 1999

Background. Throughout their reproductive years, women suffer from a higher prevalence of depression than men. Before puberty, however, this is not the case. In an earlier study, we found that reaching Tanner Stage III of puberty was associated with increased levels of depression in girls. This paper examines whether the morphological changes associated with puberty (as measured by Tanner stage) or the hormonal changes underlying them are more strongly associated with increased rates of depression in adolescent girls.Methods. Data from three annual waves of interviews with 9 to 15-year-olds from the Great Smoky Mountains study were analysed.Results. Models including the effects of testosterone and oestradiol eliminated the apparent effect of Tanner stage. The effect of testosterone was non-linear. FSH and LH had no effects on the probability of being depressed.Conclusions. These findings argue against theories that explain the emergence of the female excess of depression in adulthoo...