PMDD is not just another name for PMS

Twenty-five to 30 percent of women know what Premenstrual Syndrome or PMS is like: the monthly curse of tenderness, headaches, joint and muscle pains,
bloating and weight gain, on top of irritability, anger, tension, marked depressed mood, crying spells for no reason, verbal outbursts, or tantrums.

Is it the fact that PMS happens monthly, thus its symptoms are often dismissed as just a “part of being a woman?” Therefore, help is often neither sought nor offered.

Well, is it good news to know that severe PMS is now clinically classified as Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder or PMDD, which affects three to five percent of menstruating women?

Now classified as clinical disorders, PMS and PMDD have the same symptoms. While the emotional symptoms are similar, they are significantly more serious with PMDD. In PMDD, the focus is on the mood rather than the physical symptoms. With PMS, sadness or mild depression is not uncommon. With PMDD, however, significant depression and hopelessness may occur; in extreme cases, women may feel like killing themselves or others.

I think all mothers of the world were shocked with the Andrea Yates case in 2001. Yates was then a 36-year-old mother who drowned her five children, ages six months to seven years, in the bathtub. She was found to be suffering from a myriad of mental disorders, including postpartum depression.

Affected women, pay attention: Attributing suicidal or homicidal feelings to “it’s just PMS” is inappropriate. These feelings must be taken as seriously as they are in anyone else and should be promptly brought to the attention of mental health professionals.

According to HealthyPlace.Com, women who have a history of depression are at increased risk for PMDD. Similarly, women who have had PMDD are at increased risk for depression after menopause. In simplest terms, the difference between PMS and PMDD can be likened to the difference between a mild headache and a chronic migraine.

There are three factors involved in making the diagnosis of PMDD. First, the symptoms must be primarily related to mood.  After pooling the ratings from several centers across the United States, the most frequently reported symptom was depression. Second, symptom severity has to be problematic enough in the woman’s personal, social, work, or school history to interfere with functioning. Third, the symptoms need to be documented in relationship to the timing of the menstrual cycle; they must occur premenstrually and remit shortly after the onset of menses. This cyclic pattern needs to be documented by daily mood ratings.

In general, in order for a PMDD diagnosis to be made, five or more of the following symptoms must be present: depressed mood; anger or irritability; difficulty in concentrating; lack of interest in activities once enjoyed; moodiness; increased appetite; insomnia or oversleeping; feeling overwhelmed or out of control; symptoms that disturb social, occupational, or physical functioning; symptoms that are not related to, or exaggerated by, another medical condition

Women with PMDD find that it has a very disruptive effect on their lives, rendering them unproductive, hopeless, and depressed. Furthermore, women successfully treated with antidepressants often show breakthrough symptoms of depression in the premenstrual phase of their menstrual cycle. All that is needed is a small increase in the dosage of the antidepressant premenstrually.

The symptoms of PMDD may also resemble other conditions or medical problems, such as a thyroid condition, depression, or an anxiety disorder. Consult a physician for diagnosis and, hopefully, treatment.