Premenstrual dysphoric disorder or PMDD is often misunderstood and is a debilitating disorder that can disrupt daily life. It can lead to overwhelming emotional and physical distress. Across Canada, and here in Hamilton, some women are struggling to get a diagnosis, because the disorder isn’t widely recognized.
Doctors say the symptoms are similar to premenstrual syndrome or PMS, which more people might be familiar with. Symptoms like bloating, abdominal pain, sleep difficulties, mood changes but with PMDD symptoms can be more severe and sometimes disabling.
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Tonia Jahshan told CHCH News that getting a PMDD diagnosis was like piecing a puzzle together. Five years ago the scattered symptoms set in. Her whole body felt like pins and needles. Rage and depression took over and on the worst days, she had suicidal thoughts.
“It got so bad that I would have to map it out on the calendar for my children. Like listen, here are the two weeks right before my period. Mom’s not going to be the same.”
When Jahshan finally met with a psychiatrist, the doctor told her she had a classic case of PMDD and prescribed a medication used to treat anxiety and depression.
“It was relief to hear a diagnosis because I really thought I was going crazy and I thought, am I going to live like this for the rest of my life?”
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Jashan says the team at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton helped her with her symptoms. But, experts say most women aren’t so lucky, with the vast majority facing barriers to treatment.
PMDD is a relatively new diagnosis and was only formally recognized as a mood disorder in the last decade. Because of that some women confuse it for PMS.
St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton clinical health psychologist Sheryl Green said, “They think they’re normal and it’s something they should just continue to tolerate and get used to and really it’s a mood disorder that needs to be effectively assessed and treated.”
Estimates suggest that between 1.5 to 6 per cent of Canadian women experience PMDD.
That means anywhere between 300,000 to nearly 1.2 million women in the country could be dealing with the disorder.
Experts say community support is crucial.
“PMDD is real, and its symptoms can be really debilitating, so being able to talk to your friends or trusted health care professional and getting the help you may need is really important.”
More than 1,000 people will be pounding the pavement this Sunday in Hamilton’s 7th annual Run for Women. The route starts at Confederation Park and the proceeds will go towards supporting women’s mental health and substance use care at St. Joseph’s.
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