PMDD - I first heard about it on Mumsnet, can anyone explain symptoms.

[carnitine]

Hi, I posted this on chat, but think I should have posted it here maybe ...

Someone posted that they suffered from PMDD, I think my teen may be suffering from it.

I really thought she was suffering from some mental health issue, as she can be normal for a few weeks and then this ugly crazy side just come out, I really thought she would be diagnosed with a personality disorder, however psychiatrist ruled it out and said just normal teenage development and to see a therapist regularly.

Just going back over the past few months and the times she totally flips out is the 7 or 10 days before her period, severe anger issues, I mean smashing up things, aggression, exhausted and refuses to go to school, eats rubbish, looks dreadful, fights with everyone, sends horrible text messages if even slightly upset or doesnt get her own way. . The slightest thing not going her way can set her off into a rage which leaves her crying and exhausted. It is not normal PMS, that is for sure. . She had previously tried a contraceptive pill, but it was making her nauseous every day, so she stopped.

How is it diagnosed, is it a gynae or a psychiatrist who diagnoses it ? can anyone explain their own symptoms to me.

The rest of the month she is a normal teenager with all the ups and downs that go with it. She can be so adorable and helpful and nice and then this crazy person raises it's head. I have been keeping a diary of when she flips and it is absolutely each month preceding her period.

I would start with the GP. Mine was very sympathetic when I presented with symptoms including tears, anxiety, rage, sadness and even suicidal thoughts 7-10 days before periods. I am now being treated with low level anti-depressants that I take 2 weeks a month and feel fantastic.

Bluejelly, thank you, yes suicidal thoughts now added to the mix, just on Thursday past, she said she thinks of suicide but would never do it because she is scared of it being painful.

We are not in UK and GP won't touch any teen that has any possible mental health issues. The gynae has prescribed the contraceptive pill and said if it doesn't help then there is something else going on that isn't hormonal, so no real help. We managed to get an appointment with the psychiatrist who initially said she was just going through normal teenage stuff, he spent five minutes with her, where she said she was fine, he said he wants to hospitalise her for 4 weeks to treat her, think because the suicide threat has now been added into the mix. The time he saw her prior, was in the week after she got her period, when he thought there was no problem at all. So it's gone from one extreme to the other.

I mentioned PMDD to him and he totally dismissed me. I am thinking I may just bring her to the UK to get her assessed privately, so wondering if I would need a psychiatrist or a gynaecologist.

Oh sorry to hear you don't have a GP locally you can refer to. Have a read up of Fluoxetine for PMS. www.drugs.com/comments/fluoxetine/for-premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder.html
It might be useful for your DD - it is certainly helping me. Though obviously I'm not doctor!

Your poor DD (and poor you).

I was diagnosed at the ripe old age of 35, when I finally found a GP who was sympathetic and took my symptoms seriously.

Fluoxetine has been life changing. If it’s going to work it will work pretty quickly, too. Probably within 1 or 2 cycles.