PREMENSTRUAL DYSPHORIC DISORDER IN BENHA UNIVERSITY FEMALE STUDENTS

Abstract

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a debilitating and distressing condition affecting 3% to 8% of women in their reproductive years all over the world, Steiner and Pearlstein (2000).

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder is characterized by recurrent emotional, cognitive, and physical symptoms related to menstrual cycles. These symptoms often recur discretely during the week prior to onset of menses (the late luteal phase) and remits following the start of menstrual flow and may significantly interfere with social, occupational, and sexual functioning, as described in the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders 4th edition (DSM-IV) by American Psychiatric Association (1994).

Moline, et a/. (2001), stated that premenstrual dysphoric disorder is not the fault of the woman suffering from it or the result of a "weak" or unstable personality. It is not something that is "all in the woman's head." Rather, PMDD is a medical illness that can be treated.

Htay (2004), mentioned that premenstrual dysphoric disorder is a distressing problem of women as the symptoms recur every cycle, may become more sever over time, can be quite disabling to women and their families, may not go away if ignored, and it can be diagnosed and effectively treated. Women, however, do face barriers to diagnosis and treatment. There is often a stigma attached to any condition that is assodated with the menstrual cycle. Many women who do not seek treatment for the mood and physical symptoms of PMDD accept their symptoms as an inevitable consequence of the menstrual cycle which