[Current Aspects of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder - A Review]

Abstract

This narrative review presents current aspects of diagnosis, epidemiology, aetiology and therapy of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD). PMDD is characterised by emotional, physical and behavioral changes during the premenstrual phase of the menstrual cycle associated with clinically significant distress and marked impairment of psychosocial functioning. Due to its cardinal symptoms (e. g. marked affect lability and irritability), its specific cycle-dependent course and high symptom-specific stability, PMDD has been outlined as a new diagnostic category in the chapter on depressive disorders in the fifth edition of the "Diagnostic and Statistical Handbook of Mental Disorders". The disorder is still insufficiently known in the German language area; it is not included in the International Statistical Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). The 12-month prevalence varies from 3 to 8% for women of reproductive age. The mechanisms underlying PMDD are still insufficiently known, the findings indicate a multifactorial genesis. It is not possible to provide evidence-based recommendations as there is currently still a lack of randomized controlled interventions in women with PMDD.