How do women with PMDD think about themselves, other people, and the world?

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a debilitating and complex disorder that signifies physical and psychological symptoms occur periodically and remit following the onset of menstruation. The present research aims to clarify perception of self, others and the world in women suffering from PMDD in their premenstrual period. This study was performed based on Hsieh and Shannon?s Qualitative Content Analysis. Participants were chosen through purposive sampling from women with PMDD. The inclusion criteria were manifestation of mood, physical and behavioral symptoms with impacts on life which indicated PMDD based on the premenstrual symptoms screening tool (PSST). The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM?5 (SCID-5) was used for final diagnosis and data was collected through in-depth interviews which continued until saturation. Based on the matrix, three themes of self-self, self-other and existential concepts led to extracting the categories of ashamed self, anxious self, destructive self, confident self, insecure other, distant other, cruel world and meaningless world on the basis of 24 final codes. Understanding of women with PMDD during their premenstrual period expresses a negative perception toward self, in a way that being exposed to feelings of shame and insecurity leads them to have the same perception towards relations as well as the world.

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