Well, you’re a crazy bitch for a reason, at least. The exxxtremeversion of PMS, premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), has officially been recognized as a distinct mental disorder in the American Psychiatric Association’s newest Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the DSM-5. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder affects roughly 3-8 percent of women, who report having debilitating feelings of depression, anxiety, tiredness, among other physical and mental symptoms, in the two weeks leading up to their period.
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The good news is that by adding PMDD to the DSM, women who suffer from these symptoms will be taken more seriously; the bad news is that it’s likely to be a great talking point for those who like to use women’s “moodiness” as the reason they wouldn’t be good for, say, public office or serving in the armed forces. As with any mental health issue, recognition leads to advances in treatment, which is a good thing, but, as NYMag.com points out, only so long as doctors and drug companies don’t use it as an excuse to “pathologize healthy women’s emotional cycles.”
[NYMag.com]Original by
