Severe Premenstrual Disorder Linked to Suicide Risk, Remainsโ Largelyโข Undiagnosed
SWANSEA, WALES – A debilitating premenstrual disorder affecting an estimated one inโ 20 women is frequently misdiagnosed, leaving sufferers struggling for years and, in certain specific cases, facing a tragically elevated risk โof โsuicide, experts warn. Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) – โfar โexceeding typical PMS – is characterized by severe mood swings, โฃintense anger, and debilitating anxiety โin the weeks leading up to โขmenstruation. Despite its potential severity, awareness among general โคpractitioners remains shockingly low, leading to delayed diagnoses and inappropriate treatment.
Alys, an office โคadministrator from โคSwansea, recountsโ a three-year ordeal of misdiagnosis, initiallyโ being told โshe suffered from post-partum depression after the birth of her daughter. “I’d probably had it ever since I โgot my first period, but I went on the Pill as a teen forโฃ many โคyears, and only came off โขit right before I got pregnant,” โฃshe explained. Followingโข her daughter’s birth, Alys experienced a โreturn ofโ intense mood swings, escalating into uncontrollable rages. “It was confusing, because I wasn’t depressed so much as angry – I would go โinto rages over the littlest of things,” she said.โข
Initially prescribed antidepressants, Alys found no relief. “I โคbegan to think maybe I was bipolar. I coudl sense there were times when I โfelt normal and times I felt realy bad. It got to the point where everyโ month I would โring up my doctors in tears because I’d had a rage that I’d taken out on my loved ones,”โ she shared, adding, “I didn’t feel like a horrible personโ who likes to shout at her โsmall โchild or lash โขout at her parents. I couldn’t โunderstand why I would do it.”
It wasn’t until seeking helpโฃ from her โขfifth GP that Alys finally received โa diagnosis of PMDD. “Someone finally acknowledged I wasn’t going crazy – but getting anyoneโ to listen was really โคtough,” sheโฃ stated.
Experts emphasize that PMDD is โขa serious biological condition, not simply “being sensitive.” โDr. Khanjani โnotes that lifestyle changes like regular โexercise, aโ diet low in processed foods, vitamin D andโ ironโฃ supplementation, โฃdaily โฃsunlight โexposure, and minimizing alcohol intake can โคhelp โregulate hormones. Forโ those who don’tโ respond, antidepressants can be effective, with โค60-70% of sufferers experiencing โbetterment, according to theโข US โNational Institutes of Health – โand โคfrequently โenough โคrequiring medication only during the luteal โคphase ofโ the menstrual cycle.
More drastic treatments, including the combined oral contraceptive pill, gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (inducing a chemical menopause), and, in rare cases, surgical removal of the ovaries or womb, are also options. Dr. Marwick points out that “menopauseโค is reallyโ theโ only โcure,” though these interventions can haveโ meaningful sideโฃ effects.
The lack of awareness among primary care โฃphysicians is a critical barrier to effective treatment. Dr. Raizada, herself a GP, acknowledgesโค theโ issue, stating,โข “If your GP is your trusted person, and you go to them with your symptoms and โคare told that you’re just being sensitive, it can be embarrassingโฆ I’m a GPโ myself, and โคeven โคI felt like that.” She stresses that improved training for โฃprimary care physicians and medical students โis essential โto address this widespread problem and prevent โขfurther suffering.