#impulsecontrol — Public Fediverse posts

DATE: September 6, 2026 at 12:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

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TITLE: Escitalopram reduces impulsivity and anger in women with severe premenstrual irritability

URL: https://www.psypost.org/escitalopram-reduces-impulsivity-and-anger-in-women-with-severe-premenstrual-irritability/

A study of women suffering from severe premenstrual irritability and anger found that escitalopram reduced their irritability and anger in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. Participants on escitalopram also demonstrated a lower frequency of anticipatory responses and greater consistency in response speeds in a sustained attention test. The paper was published in Psychological Medicine.

The menstrual cycle is a recurring biological process in which hormonal changes prepare the body of a woman for a possible pregnancy. It is commonly divided into the menstrual, follicular, ovulatory, and luteal phases. The cycle begins with menstruation, when the uterine lining is shed and menstrual bleeding occurs. Ovulation occurs around the middle of the cycle, when a mature egg is released from the ovary. The last is the luteal phase, during which progesterone becomes dominant and the uterine lining is maintained in preparation for a possible pregnancy. If pregnancy does not occur, estrogen and progesterone levels fall toward the end of the luteal phase, leading to the beginning of a new menstrual cycle.

For some women, these hormonal changes are accompanied by recurring emotional, behavioral, and physical symptoms that become particularly pronounced before menstruation. These changes, called premenstrual symptoms, are thought to be linked to normal fluctuations in sex hormones across the menstrual cycle. In more severe cases, the symptoms may form part of premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD. In this disorder, several symptoms repeatedly emerge during the luteal phase and largely disappear after menstruation begins.

Studies have shown that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, a type of medication used to treat depression, can be effective in reducing the symptoms of PMDD within only a few days. This suggests that serotonin, a neurotransmitter affected by SSRIs, might play an important role in premenstrual symptoms. It seems to be particularly effective in reducing irritability, anger, and rapid mood shifts.

Study author Maria Gröndal and her colleagues conducted a study in which they examined possible cognitive components of impulsivity in premenstrual irritability. They also examined the women’s sustained attention and the effects of intermittent treatment with escitalopram, a widely used SSRI.

Study participants were 27 women suffering from severe premenstrual irritability and anger, selected from an initial pool of 203 prospective participants. Participants were included in the study if they showed at least a 50% increase in irritability/anger symptoms from the follicular phase to the luteal phase of a menstrual cycle, and had a mean rating of irritability/anger over a threshold study authors defined over the last 5 days of the menstrual cycle. Participants’ average age was 33 years. 85% of them had a university degree. Participants received 1000 SEK (around $100) for each of their three lab visits, plus reimbursement for travel or loss of income.

The study extended over three of the study participants’ menstrual cycles. The first cycle did not involve any intervention. In cycles 2 and 3, participants were randomly assigned to either receive 20mg of escitalopram per day during the luteal phase of cycle 2 and placebo (an identically looking pill with no effects) during the luteal phase of cycle 3, in a single-blind design, or to receive these same treatments in the reverse order (placebo in cycle 2, escitalopram in cycle 3).

Participants completed a sustained attention test (the Conners Continuous Performance Test 3 – CPT 3) twice, once in the luteal phase of cycle 2 and once in the luteal phase of cycle 3. They also completed an assessment of impulsivity twice – once in the follicular phase and once in the luteal phase of the cycle when they were receiving placebo. Participants also rated their symptoms on a daily basis using an online survey. The symptoms they rated were irritability/anger, depressed mood, mood swings, and tension/anxiety.

Results showed that participants reported significantly higher levels of negative urgency (the tendency to act impulsively when experiencing negative emotions) during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle compared to the follicular phase. They also showed lower levels of sensation seeking. There were no differences between phases of the menstrual cycle in the other two aspects of impulsivity (lack of premeditation and lack of perseverance).

On the sustained attention test, perseverations (anticipatory, repetitive, or random responses) were significantly higher during the placebo cycle than during the escitalopram cycle. During the menstrual cycle when participants were receiving placebo, they also showed greater variability in their response speeds. In other words, escitalopram reduced participants’ anticipatory responses and made their reaction speeds more consistent. Escitalopram treatment also caused a significant reduction in self-rated irritability, anger, and mood swings in the luteal phase.

“The current study showed that intermittent treatment with escitalopram during the symptomatic luteal phase of the menstrual cycle may have a beneficial impact on specific aspects of impulsivity and inattentiveness in women with severe premenstrual irritability and anger. Moreover, our findings showed that self-reported urgency increased, whereas self-reported sensation seeking decreased in the luteal versus the follicular phase, suggesting that different facets of impulsivity may be of different significance to premenstrual complaints,” study authors concluded.

The study contributes to the scientific knowledge about premenstrual disorders and ways to treat their symptoms. However, it should be noted that the study was conducted on a very small group of women, selected for severe premenstrual irritability and anger. Results of studies involving larger groups of women may not be identical.

The paper, “The effects of intermittent escitalopram treatment on impulsivity and inattention in women with premenstrual irritability and anger,” was authored by Maria Gröndal, Christin Englund, Jakob Näslund, Karl Ask, Elias Eriksson, and Stefan Winblad.

URL: https://www.psypost.org/escitalopram-reduces-impulsivity-and-anger-in-women-with-severe-premenstrual-irritability/

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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #EscitalopramPMDD #PremenstrualIrritability #PMDDTreatment #ImpulseControl #SustainedAttention #LutealPhase #SerotoninSSRIs #AngerManagement #WomenHealthResearch #PsychologicalMedicine

Illumination in dark times
A genealogy of modern Western selfhood and a post-Western world

"Smith ... outlines a genealogy of modern Western selfhood: a radically individual, hypermasculine character that was formed during the rapid nineteenth-century expansion of the white man’s world. “Bold, conquering, and altogether assertive,” it was “dedicated to action,” hostile to reflection, indifferent to community and the environment, and guilty of possessing, Smith writes, an “undeveloped heart,” a term borrowed from E. M. Forster’s assessment of the British elite." "

" “We must alter our very relations with the world around us.” This means giving up the exalted and exaggerated idea of the West that boosts a masculinist self-image but severely constricts thought and feeling. “We should welcome our era’s uncertainties,...the not-knowing of how the post-Western story will come out.” Smith’s final warning—that “we will not survive the Western notion of the individual much longer”—should resonate today, as nineteenth-century individualism reasserts itself in the degraded Nietzscheanism of Peter Thiel and Stephen Miller." >>

* Mishra, P. (2026, April). "The Authority of Thought". Harper's Magazine.
https://harpers.org/archive/2026/04/the-authority-of-thought-pankaj-mishra/

* Somebody Else's Century: East and West in a Post-Western World by Patrick Smith. 2010 >>
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/169395/somebody-elses-century-by-patrick-smith/
#TheWest #WhiteSupremacy #masculinity #ImpulseControl #EthnoNationalism #WesternCivilization #AngloAmerican #parochialism #individualism #subjectivity #SettlerSociety #Culture #RacialInequality #war #EastWest #PostWesternWorld #DarkTimes #illumination #narrative #environment

Image: Double Bay War Memorial, Steyne Park, Sydney

Gambling Disorder: 4 Truths from a Groundbreaking New Study

When you picture someone with a gambling disorder, a specific image might come to mind. But what if that stereotype is outdated and dangerously incomplete?

A groundbreaking new study from an innovative program in Madrid called ‘Adcom’ reveals that the digital age is forging a new, more complex, and more hidden type of gambling addict. This research, based on hundreds of individuals who sought help voluntarily. And it challenges our most common assumptions about who is affected and why. 

This article shares the most impactful and counter-intuitive findings from this research.

Prepare to see what gambling addiction really looks like today.

1. It’s Rarely Just About Gambling: The Hidden Mental Health Crisis

One of the study’s most critical findings is the extremely high rate at which Gambling Disorder co-occurs with other serious mental health conditions.

This situation, known as “Gambling Dual Disorder (GDD),” suggests that gambling is not an isolated issue. It’s a symptom of a much larger mental health struggle. 

Among the participants who self-referred for a gambling problem, the numbers were stark: 

• 57.4% showed evidence of other psychopathological symptoms. 
• 64.9% experienced significant symptoms of depression.
• 51.3% were at risk for an anxiety disorder.
• 37.4% screened positive for ADHD.

This reframes gambling not as a simple lack of willpower, but as a complex disorder deeply intertwined with a person’s overall mental well-being. To be effective, treatment cannot just focus on the gambling; it must address these co-occurring conditions as well. 

Gambling Disorder can be defined as “persistent and recurrent problematic gambling that leads to significant impairment or distress”.

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2. The Digital Divide: Online and Offline People with Gambling Disorder Are Strikingly Different People

This complex mental health picture becomes even more fragmented when we look at where the gambling happens. A divide that is creating two entirely different profiles of addiction.

The study revealed significant and clear differences between online gambling versus those who struggled with offline gambling. The most compelling demographic contrasts paint a clear picture: 

• Age: The average online gambler was 30.6 years old, a full generation younger than the average offline gambler at 43.4 years old.
• Gender: While men were the majority in both groups, the disparity was much greater online. Only 5.3% of online gamblers were female, compared to 20.5% of offline gamblers.
• Prior Treatment: Individuals with offline gambling problems were far more likely to have previously sought help for a mental health issue (62.1%) than those with online problems (42.9%). 

These differences are profound.

Technology has fractured the landscape of addiction. It’s created a younger, more isolated cohort that is harder to reach.

The fact that this online group has had significantly less prior contact with mental health services suggests a new, underserved population. A population that may not be captured by traditional outreach and may be less aware of their own underlying conditions.

More About Gambling Disorder

• Gambling Disorder: 4 Truths from a Groundbreaking New Study

  New Adcom study reveals gambling disorder today: high mental-health overlap, online/offline differences, compulsive buying link, and key predictors.

  January 20, 2026

• 5 Hidden Ways the Gambling Industry Engineers Harm

  A health lens reveals how the gambling industry engineers harm: blame-shifting “responsible gambling,” addictive design, and policy capture fueling crisis.

  January 6, 2026

• Holiday Gambling: Why You Bet Matters More Than How Much

  Are you planning to do a little gambling this holiday on a football game? Why you bet is more important than how much, according to this new study.

  December 23, 2025

3. A Shocking Connection: Gambling Disorder and Compulsive Buying Go Hand-in-Hand

Perhaps the single most surprising finding was the powerful link between Gambling Disorder and another behavioral addiction: compulsive buying.

The study found that compulsive buying was a potential problem in an astonishing 85.2% of participants. 

Breaking this down even further, for 57.7% of the entire group, the existence of a compulsive buying problem was considered “very probable/sure.” 

This is highly counter-intuitive.

While both behaviors involve money, they are often viewed as completely separate issues. This powerful correlation is not just a quirky finding. It’s evidence that Gambling Disorder may be part of a broader spectrum of impulse-control disorders rooted in similar neurological pathways. It highlights a shared underlying mechanism related to the brain’s reward system and the cycle of financial distress and emotional coping.

4. Your Background and Other Vices Can Predict How You Gamble

The study went beyond simple descriptions to identify factors that could predict whether a person was more likely to struggle with online versus offline gambling. This analysis revealed a complex interplay of cultural factors, lifestyle, and co-occurring disorders that shape a person’s specific addictive behaviors. 

The research identified several key predictors: 

• Being born in Spain increased the odds of having an online gambling problem by more than five times.
• Excessive Internet use nearly tripled the odds of having an online gambling problem.
• Conversely, having a co-occurring alcohol addiction or an eating disorder significantly reduced the odds of having an online problem, making it far more likely the gambling problem was offline.

These points reveal that the specific form an addiction takes is not random. It is shaped by a combination of a person’s environment, other behaviors, and personal history.

Conclusion: A New Call for Awareness of Gambling Disorder

The message from this research is clear: the digital age has forged a new profile of gambling addiction that is younger, more hidden, and more complex. The old stereotypes simply don’t fit the modern reality. 

Innovative programs like Adcom, which lower the barriers to seeking help, are not only crucial for providing treatment but also for gathering the vital data needed to truly understand the problem. This new knowledge allows for better prevention, more targeted interventions, and a more compassionate public understanding of a deeply challenging disorder. 

Knowing that online addiction strikes a younger group with less mental health history, how must we radically change our outreach to find and help this hidden population before it’s too late?

How do you view gambling disorder after reading this article? Let us know in the comments!

Have you found yourself in legal trouble due to your sexual behavior? Seek assistance before the court mandates it, with Sexual Addiction Treatment Services.

Do you feel your sexual behavior, or that of someone you love, is out of control? Then you should consult with a professional.

Are you looking for more reputable data-backed information on sexual addiction? The Mitigation Aide Research Archive is an excellent source for executive summaries of research studies.