A third of women with this disorder will attempt suicide

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A new study shows one third of women who suffer from premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD, will attempt suicide.

PMDD is characterized as a more severe and disabling form of premenstrual syndrome. It comes with a range of side effects including depression, anger, extreme sadness, irritability and hopelessness. 

A national team of scientists led by researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago collected data from 2,689 women for two months. A total of 599 had PMDD. Of the 599, 51% admitted to deliberately harming themselves while 34% had attempted suicide.

“We’ve uncovered an extremely worrying rate of suicide ideation and attempts among those with PMDD, highlighting the need to take this issue seriously,” said the lead study author and an assistant professor of psychiatry at the university, Dr. Tori Eisenloh-Moul, in a news release. “These findings offer powerful evidence that the link between PMDD and suicide is independent of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or other mental health conditions that are known to increase ideation and attempts.”

She goes on to say premenstrual dysphoric disorder affects 1 of every 20 reproductive-age women. However, it is often underdiagnosed, misdiagnosed or dismissed entirely by practitioners.