{"id":2418,"date":"2024-04-04T16:06:29","date_gmt":"2024-04-04T14:06:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/complicated.life\/blog\/?p=2418"},"modified":"2026-02-26T09:13:26","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T08:13:26","slug":"pmdd-premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/complicated.life\/blog\/pmdd-premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder\/","title":{"rendered":"PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder): Myths, Misdiagnoses, and Treatments"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Image credit: Laura Liedo for Parents<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a severe case of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), which affects women both physically and psychologically. A study by Schoep et al. that was conducted in 2019 on more than 30,000 women in the Netherlands, found that 81% of them reported reduced work productivity due to menstruation-related symptoms for an average of 23 days per year. With such a huge impact, it is surprising how little PMDD is talked about. As with many (mental) health issues, the severity of PMDD falls on a spectrum. From no symptoms at all to the most severe forms of PMDD, almost all women are affected at some point in their lives. While clinically diagnosable PMDD is estimated to affect approximately 1.8 to 5.8% of women (American Psychiatric Association, 2013), as many as 18% of women are believed to suffer with subclinical or subthreshold PMDD (Wittchen, Becker, Lieb, & Krause, 2002).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So what exactly is PMDD and how is it diagnosed? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A crucial aspect of PMDD is the timing<\/strong> of symptoms. In PMDD, symptoms must be present in the majority of menstrual cycles that occurred in the preceding year. At least five of the following diagnostic criteria must be present in the final week before the onset of menstruation, start to improve<\/em> within a few days after the onset of menstruation, and become minimal<\/em> or absent in the week post-menstruation (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). This distinguishes PMDD from other mental health disorders, which may present in a similar way e.g. depressive or anxiety disorders, which present consistently, while PMDD presents cyclically. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diagnostic criteria<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n