PMDD is a little-known condition that causes depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts for a significant proportion of women. Sufferers and experts talk about its devastating effects, and the fight to improve diagnosis
Emily has suffered from premenstrual dysphoric disorder from the age of 13, and had a hysterectomy as a last resort.Emily has suffered from premenstrual dysphoric disorder from the age of 13, and had a hysterectomy as a last resort.y the time Emily got her diagnosis, she was under 24-hour supervision by her mum, suffering with anorexia and routinely self-harming. Her suicide attempts had numbered “too many to count”.
Emily’s symptoms began when she started her period aged 13. It would take until she was 26 to get a diagnosis. This is not uncommon – the average wait for a diagnosis is 12 years, according to the IAPMD. Emily spent three years on hormone treatments such as triptorelin, goserelin, progesterone and oestrogen, until 2019, when she was offered a hysterectomy as a last resort.“I had always wanted children,” she says. “When I made the decision and came to terms with it, I cried for a week solid.
The severity of Emily’s experience is rare. “It is a spectrum disorder,” says Murphy. “For some people, things are impacted but manageable, and that goes all the way up to people who are sectioned every month for their safety.” Still, PMDD sufferers are 10 times more likely to have made a suicide attempt at some time in their lives than the general population. “Quicker diagnosis means suicide prevention and better quality of life,” says Murphy.
Three years before her diagnosis, Emily had asked her psychiatrist if her symptoms could be hormone-related. “I remember her saying, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if it were just that?’ I took that as gospel and never mentioned it again,” she says. “I don’t blame that particular psychiatrist, but it just shows the lack of education and awareness around PMDD.”
I am constantly tearful, lack energy, and don’t want to ruin anything for my career. I’ve missed a lot of opportunities over the years She becomes “depressed, hopeless and immersed in flashbacks for about five to seven days every month” before her period begins. “It is a different state of consciousness,” she says. “I try to sleep as much as possible … it feels dangerous to be awake.” She doesn’t “feel comfortable attending work or interacting with other people because I am constantly tearful, lack energy, and don’t want to ruin anything for my career. I’ve missed a lot of opportunities over the years due to this.
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