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NIMH Twitter Chat on Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
• Science Update
Most people are familiar with the term “PMS ,” which stands for premenstrual syndrome. PMS—moodiness and irritability in the weeks before menstruation—is quite common among menstruating women and symptoms are usually mild. However, there is a less common and more severe form of PMS called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) that causes significant suffering in approximately 2 to 5 percent of women of reproductive age.
PMDD is a serious condition with disabling symptoms, which include irritability, anger, depressed mood, sadness, thoughts of suicide, change in appetite, bloating, breast tenderness, and joint or muscle pain. Recently, PMDD was recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-V), as a mental disorder.
To learn more about the symptoms, causes, and treatments for PMDD, please join the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) for a Twitter chat on Thursday, August 7, 2014, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. EST. NIMH expert Peter Schmidt, M.D., chief of the Section on Behavioral Endocrinology, will be on hand to discuss PMDD and answer related questions.
Please use the hashtag #NIMHchats to follow and participate in the Twitter chat. To ask questions, you must have a Twitter account. If you prefer to simply observe the chat taking place, you may enter #NIMHchats at twubs.com to view the conversation in real-time. An archive of the chat will be posted on NIMH’s website following the event.
If you have any questions, please email NIMHpress@nih.gov. See you on Twitter!