Five of the following symptoms must be present and at least one of them must be 1, 2, 3 or 4:
1. Depressed mood or dysphoria (a feeling of low mood, irritability,anxiety and/or despair)
2. Anxiety or tension
3. Affective lability (quick change of emotion or unstable mood)
4. Irritability
5. Decreased interest in usual activities
6. Concentration difficulties
7. Marked lack of energy
8. Marked change in appetite, overeating or food cravings
9. Hyperinsomnia or insomnia
10.Feeling overwhelmed
Other physical symptoms, i.e. breast tenderness, bloating To be considered as PMDD, symptoms must occur during the week before menstruation and remit a few days after onset of menses.
Symptoms must interfere with work, school, usual activities or relationships.
Symptoms must not merely be an exacerbation of another disorder.
Okay so let's see, not even looking at that list, when this time of the month comes around I am ALWAYS way hungrier all the time, most of the time more tired (I am working overnight and all I can think about is sleeping right now) definitely moody, moody as in annoyed with people easily, sad for no reason, anxious, and usually paranoid and feel like I can't control my life. Now for anyone who knows me I am usually NOTHING like what I described, at least in terms of mood (I have been known to eat a lot). This starts promptly a little over a week before my period starts and ends the day it starts. I actually know it's gonna start because I start to feel happy. Today I asked Joe and Sue incessantly if they were coming up to visit when really it shouldn't have mattered that much. I do shit like that and it makes no sense to me.
Okay so looking back on the list, I feel all of those things except the physical stuff. The bottom of the list is what gets me. "Symptoms must interfere with work, school, usual activities, or relationships" Well I'm bitching about it on here, does that mean it interferes with daily functioning? My friends usually don't notice much unless I tell them, because I mostly try to keep stuff to myself. Andrew asked me if I was okay a few times today but that was after I told him what was going on. I'm doing okay at work, other than wanting to go to sleep soooo badly. So do I not have this disorder because it doesn't interfere enough? To what degree does it have to interfere?
Anyway some girls get physical symptoms of PMS, my supervisor at work said she even used to throw up every single month. I don't get ANY physical symptoms, not even cramps. Would I take the physical pain over the emotional confusion? Hmm I don't know. Even with all these stupid games my mind is playing with me, I know it's not real so I can deal with it. Pain is very real, and harder to ignore. Maybe I'll just deal and shut up.
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