Survey study, 2008
Do the diagnostic criteria for PMDD correctly identify who has the condition?
20% of women met the diagnostic criteria for PMDD in this study, but 4% of men also met criteria when given the same forms, and people with psychological distress did not necessarily meet the criteria, suggesting the criteria may not be valid.
What they did
Researchers examined whether the diagnostic criteria for premenstrual dysphoric disorder work properly by giving women and men the same assessment form using sex-neutral language. They looked at whether people with high psychological distress or relationship problems were more likely to meet PMDD criteria.
What they found
20% of women met the diagnostic criteria for premenstrual dysphoric disorder. 4% of men also met these criteria when given the same assessment form. Self-reported psychological distress and impaired relationships did not predict whether women met the PMDD criteria.
What it means for you
The criteria for PMDD may not be valid. Men met the criteria when assessed the same way, and people with psychological distress did not necessarily meet the criteria, suggesting the test may not accurately identify the condition. PMDD is supposed to be specific to women and their menstrual cycle, but these findings question whether it truly is. The study did not report the sample size.
20%
of women met PMDD criteria
4%
of men met PMDD criteria
3-8%
reported prevalence of PMDD in women
About the study
- Original title
- An Empirical Evaluation of the Diagnostic Criteria for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder: Problems with Sex Specificity and Validity
- Authors
- Glenn M. Callaghan, Cynthia Chacon, Cameron Coles et al.
- Journal
- Women & Therapy
- Year
- 2008
- Study design
- Survey study
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1080/02703140802402396
Topics
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