Randomised trial, 2021
Does cognitive behavioral therapy help PMDD?
Yes. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) significantly reduced PMDD symptom severity and improved women's quality of life compared to standard care.
What they did
105 women aged 18 to 45 with confirmed PMDD were randomly assigned to either 12 weekly sessions of CBT over 3 months (including cognitive restructuring, stress management, and behavioral activation) or standard care. The study ran from January 2020 to January 2021 in Pakistan.
What they found
The CBT group (n=52) and standard care group (n=53) started with similar baseline symptom severity (DRSP scores were 68.3 and 69.1, respectively). The abstract confirms CBT was useful for lessening PMDD symptom severity and improving quality of life, though specific post-treatment numbers are not reported.
What it means for you
CBT appears to be an effective non-medication treatment for PMDD. The main limitation is that the abstract does not provide the actual symptom improvement numbers, so it is unclear how much better women felt by the end of treatment.
105
participants with PMDD
12
weekly therapy sessions
3
months of treatment
About the study
- Original title
- Effectiveness Of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) A Randomized Controlled Trial
- Authors
- Muhammad Muslim Khan, Naila, Fatima et al.
- Journal
- Journal of Pharmaceutical Negative Results
- Year
- 2021
- Study design
- Randomised trial
- Participants
- 105
- What was tested
- 12 weekly sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy including cognitive restructuring, stress management, and behavioral activation
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.47750/nvjad558
Topics
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