Learn about PMDD

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder is a severe, cyclical mood disorder. On average it takes 12 years to get an accurate diagnosis, and the main reason is proof. These guides explain what PMDD is, how it is diagnosed, what the treatment options are in the order doctors usually try them, and where to find support that knows the condition.

Everything here is sourced and dated. Where guidance differs between countries, that is said. Nothing here is medical advice.

Is this PMDD?What PMDD is, how it differs from PMS, and the five things a diagnosis needs. Sourced from IAPMD and the DSM-5 criteria.PMDD or PME?PMDD or PME? The difference decides the treatment, and most people are never told there is one.How to get diagnosedHow to get a PMDD diagnosis: track two cycles, bring the data, and what to say in the appointment.Treatment options, in the order doctors usually try themPMDD treatment options in the order doctors usually try them, from the RCOG guideline and the Cochrane review.Talking to your doctorWhat to say to a doctor about PMDD, including what to do if you are brushed off.Support and communityPMDD support: peer groups, how to find a clinician who knows the condition, and crisis lines by country.For partners, family and friendsFor partners, family and friends of someone with PMDD: what helps, what does not, and how to look after yourself.Work and studyPMDD at work and in study: asking for flexibility without naming a diagnosis, and what adjustments can look like.

Why daily tracking is the thing that changes the outcome

A PMDD diagnosis needs daily symptom ratings across at least two cycles, because the pattern over the cycle is the diagnosis. A description from memory is not enough, and that is why so many appointments end without one.

Jellybean is a free app that records those ratings in about a minute a day using the DRSP, the form PMDD research uses, and turns them into one page a doctor can read in a minute.

Get Jellybean, free