Cause
A family history of mental illness is common. There is a strong association with abnormal menstruation - amenorrhoea, anovulatory cycles or luteal cell defects. There is much evidence of a link with puerperal psychosis, and there may be an association with seasonal affective disorder.
The present evidence suggests that menstrual psychosis and menstrual mood disorder (premenstrual tension and its synonyms)—which is not associated with bipolar disorder or abnormal menstruation—are distinct disorders.
The occurrence of episodes before the menarche, during amenorrhoea and after destruction or removal of the ovaries or pituitary all point to the hypothalamic gonadorelin neuronal system as the site of the pathological interaction with the bipolar diathesis.
Read more about this topic: Menstrual Psychosis