Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder or PMDD is real and involves body and emotional changes. It can feel overwhelming for your child or young person, but it is treatable.
Fast facts
- PMDD is when a child or young person experiences severe low moods and intense feelings before their period.
- It is a more severe form of premenstrual syndrome (known as PMS).
- It can significantly affect many aspects of their life including daily activities and school.
- PMDD is not a young person’s fault and there is help and a range of different treatments available.
What is PMDD?
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) is when your young person has a more severe form of premenstrual syndrome, known as PMS. It isn’t the same as PMS. It involves a severe low mood or marked behaviour changes before a young person’s period
comes.
PMDD often occurs one or two weeks before a period, and symptoms usually improve once their period starts.
PMDD can lead to intense emotional and physical symptoms and may significantly affect many aspects of a young person’s life, including their daily activities, their schooling and their relationships.
The most important thing for you and your young person to remember is it’s not their fault and there is treatment available.
Common symptoms
PMDD can affect your young person’s body and emotions.
Body (physical) symptoms
- Low energy or fatigue
- Headaches or body aches
- Changes in appetite
- Trouble concentrating or brain fog
- Sleep problems
Emotional symptoms
- Feeling very sad, hopeless, or crying a lot
- Feeling angry or irritable
- Anxiety or feeling on edge
- Low self-esteem or feeling like they’re not good enough
- Mood swings
These symptoms can impact school attendance, friendships or daily routines.
Usually, a diagnosis of PMDD is only given if someone displays a number of these symptoms within a certain timeframe.
Why does PMDD happen?
Across the menstrual cycle, hormones like estrogen and progesterone naturally rise and fall. After ovulation (about one to two weeks before the period), these hormones increase and then drop quickly before a period starts.
For some people, this sudden drop can affect both the body and emotions.
PMDD happens because their brain is more sensitive to these normal hormone changes. This can lead to strong emotional and physical symptoms.
What can you do to help your young person with their PMDD?
Track symptoms
Encourage your young person to track their symptoms. This can be a helpful way to understand their body so they can better manage this time.
They could try to:
- Write down how they feel each day (both emotional and body symptoms). They could track things like:
- Mood
- Energy
- Sleep
- Appetite.
- Notice any patterns across their cycle.
This can help them to explain their symptoms to a doctor and is an important part of diagnosing PMDD.
Make time for fun activities
There are plenty of activities that can help your young person boost their mood and most things are probably things they already enjoy doing. They could try to:
- Meet up with a friend
- Play an instrument or dance to music
- Get out in nature
- Get creative.
Calming strategies
Calming strategies can be a helpful way of reducing stress and help support strong emotions. You could try:
- Progressive muscle relaxation
- Listening to calming music
- Doing a meditation
- Grounding exercises
- Doing some gentle movement like walking, stretching or yoga.
How is PMDD treated?
There are a range of different treatment options if your young person is diagnosed with PMDD. These include:
- Different types of therapies
- Medication
- Hormone therapy
- Lifestyle changes.
When to get help
Getting help early can make a big difference in improving how they feel. If you’re worried that your young person is experiencing strong feelings, it can be helpful for them to talk about what they are experiencing.
If your young person is unable to cope with their daily activities or experiencing extreme fatigue, then it’s time to encourage them to reach out to speak to someone.
They should speak to a trusted adult or see a doctor or psychologist as soon as possible if they say that they:
- Feel hopeless or like life isn’t worth it
- Have thoughts of hurting themselves or hurting someone else.
These feelings are serious, and help is available.
If your young person is experiencing suicidal thoughts or is having a mental health emergency, call an ambulance (000) immediately.
Support options
Encourage them to reach out to:
Helpful links