Lab study, 2002
Does the official list of PMDD symptoms match what women seeking treatment actually experience?
The official list of PMDD symptoms matched 19 of 22 most frequently reported symptoms. When other mental health conditions were ruled out, irritability and anger were more common than depressed mood.
What they did
26 women seeking treatment for premenstrual disorders listed their symptoms and rated how severe they were daily for two menstrual cycles. They completed interviews to help separate their symptoms from other mental health conditions they might have.
What they found
Of the 22 most frequent symptoms women reported, 19 were PMDD symptoms. Premenstrual depressed mood was less common than irritability or anger when other mental health conditions were taken into account.
What it means for you
The official list of PMDD symptoms appears to match what women seeking treatment actually experience, particularly for anger and irritability. However, all women in this study were already seeking treatment, so these findings may not describe women with milder symptoms.
26
women
19
of 22 most frequent symptoms were PMDD symptoms
2
menstrual cycles
About the study
- Original title
- Toward the content validity of premenstrual dysphoric disorder: do anger and irritability more than depressed mood represent treatment-seekers' experiences?
- Authors
- Hartlage SA, Arduino KE
- Journal
- Psychological reports
- Year
- 2002
- Study design
- Lab study
- Participants
- 26
- What was tested
- Assessment of symptoms over two menstrual cycles
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.2466/pr0.2002.90.1.189
Topics
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