Interview study, 2023
Are women overestimating their PMDD symptoms or do they actually have PMDD?
Women significantly overestimate PMDD. When women self-assessed their symptoms, 51.76% thought they had PMDD, but when clinically evaluated by a doctor, only 5.88% actually met the clinical criteria for PMDD.
What they did
Researchers surveyed 105 women (85 from the general population and 20 with depression) and compared what they self-reported about PMDD with what doctors found using clinical interviews and standard diagnostic criteria.
What they found
Self-reported PMDD was much higher at 51.76% compared to clinically diagnosed PMDD at 5.88%. This shows that women's expectations and how they remember their symptoms may make them think their premenstrual problems are more severe than they are by clinical standards.
What it means for you
Women may overestimate how much their premenstrual symptoms meet the clinical criteria for PMDD based on their own expectations and memories. This is important because it may lead to unnecessary worry or treatment. However, the study was small and included women with depression. Also, even if symptoms don't meet clinical PMDD criteria, they still affect women's quality of life.
105
Women surveyed
51.76%
Self-reported PMDD
5.88%
Clinically diagnosed PMDD
About the study
- Original title
- Cognitive vulnerability to depression or overestimation of premenstrual dysphoric symptoms?
- Authors
- Cristina Senín‐Calderón, María Claudia Scurtu, Celia Ceballos-Munuera et al.
- Journal
- Behavioral Psychology/Psicología Conductual
- Year
- 2023
- Study design
- Interview study
- Participants
- 105
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.51668/bp.8323303n
Topics
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