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Abstract
This study investigated the influence of hormone therapy on affect in a double blind
crossover trial. The sample consisted of 49 women who had previously undergone hysterectomy
and bilateral oophorectomy. Therapy consisted of 3 mth each of ethinyl oestradiol
— 50 μg/day, levonorgestrel — 250 μg/day, “Nordial” — a combination of these two substances,
and placebo. Affect was measured by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, verbal reports
by women and self-ratings on visual analogue scales. Ethinyl oestradiol was found
to have a beneficial influence on aspects of affect such as Hamilton scores, anxiety,
irritability and insomnia.
The influence of hormones on Hamilton scores could be partly but not fully explained
by the alleviation of hot flushes. Norgestrel showed less favourable changes initially
but these tended to diminish by the third therapy month. Most of the women studied
were not clinically depressed. Anxiety symptoms were the major features exhibited
in the group of women investigated. The results of this study suggest that visual
analogue rating scales are of questionable validity in assessing affect in patients
without any appreciable psychiatric morbidity.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
December 21,
1978
Received:
October 19,
1978
Identification
Copyright
© 1979 Published by Elsevier Inc.
