Survey study, 2004
What is PMDD?
PMDD is a severe form of PMS with at least 5 of 11 symptoms, including mood changes or irritability, that happen before your period and go away when you bleed. Symptoms must last at least a year and be bad enough to disrupt daily life.
What they did
Describes the official diagnostic criteria for PMDD from the DSM-IV manual, including all 11 possible symptoms, when they must occur, how long they must last, and how doctors should diagnose it.
What they found
PMDD requires at least 5 of 11 symptoms, with at least one being: depressed mood, anxiety, mood swings, or irritability. Other symptoms are loss of interest in activities, poor focus, tiredness, increased appetite, sleep changes, feeling overwhelmed, and physical symptoms like breast tenderness. Symptoms must happen in the 2 weeks before your period, stop within the first few days of bleeding, and have lasted at least 1 year. They must disrupt work, school, or social life. Irritability is the most frequently reported symptom. Some women have mainly depression while others have mainly irritability.
What it means for you
These are the criteria doctors use to diagnose PMDD, which is more severe than regular PMS. Women should track symptoms daily for 2 menstrual cycles before diagnosis to confirm timing and rule out other conditions. Some women may benefit from different treatments depending on whether they have mainly depression or mainly irritability.
5 of 11
Minimum symptoms required for PMDD
at least 1 year
How long symptoms must last
2 cycles
Daily tracking period for diagnosis
About the study
- Original title
- PMDD: Definition and Prevalence
- Authors
- Teri B. Pearlstein
- Journal
- CNS Spectrums
- Year
- 2004
- Study design
- Survey study
- What was tested
- None
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1017/s1092852900002005
Topics
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