PMS or PMDD?
PMS OR PMDD?
PMDD is the most severe form of PMS. Symptoms can be debilitating, unmanageable and personality-altering. In May 2019 PMDD was, for the first time, given its own classification code and classified clearly as a gynaecological, not mental, disease in the WHO’s new International Classification of Diseases, ICD-11.
The US DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) states that if you have FIVE of ELEVEN symptoms so severely they affect your life, and that they occur most heavily in the week before your period, you could be suffering from PMDD. The DSM-5 splits the symptoms into two groups:
Core symptoms
- Marked mood swings, feeling suddenly sad or tearful, or increased sensitivity to rejection.
- Irritability, anger or increased interpersonal conflicts.
- Feelings of depression, hopelessness or having self-deprecating thoughts.
- Anxiety, tension, continuous feeling of being ”on edge”.
Additional symptoms
- Withdrawal, lack of interest in people and activities you usually enjoy.
- Difficulty concentrating.
- Feeling exhausted, getting very tired easily, lack of energy.
- Changes in appetite or food cravings.
- Hypersomnia or insomnia.
- Feeling overwhelmed or out of control.
- Physical symptoms like breast soreness or swelling, joint or muscle pain, or feeling bloated