This article will clarify the overlap between PMDD and depression, including their similarities and differences, and provide guidance on how to address and manage both conditions effectively.
Can you have PMDD and depression? Yes, these two can exist together. As such, if you are experiencing certain symptoms, you might ask, “Do I have PMDD or depression?” or “How to deal with PMDD depression.”
PMDD is a condition where women have severe PMS symptoms to such a degree that they interfere with daily life. These symptoms typically start two weeks before a period.
Depression is a mental health condition that manifests with somewhat similar symptoms, which can be influenced by changes in hormone levels from ovulation like PMDD, but the cause of which is often linked to genetic or neurobiological sources.
It is important to get an accurate diagnosis and treatment. To achieve this, there are key aspects of understanding and managing the overlap between PMDD and depression that everyone should know
Understanding PMDD and Depression
Is it PMDD or depression? In order to figure out which symptoms you are struggling with, it’s important to understand both PMDD and depression.
Overview of PMDD
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder is a physical health condition that results in physical and emotional symptoms the week or two prior to a period. Sometimes, they typically go away a few days after the period begins, but during that time, they are much more severe than PMS and can interfere with daily life.
Behavioral symptoms and mood symptoms resulting from the abnormal reaction to hormonal changes from menstruation typically lead to serotonin deficiencies.
Overview of Depression
Depression is one of the most common mental health disorders around the world and is more prevalent among women compared to men. Many people with depression, a mental health disorder, struggle with serotonin deficiencies and, as such, receive treatment from things like SSRIs.
Symptoms Overlap
Do I have PMDD or depression?
This is a common question that women ask, given the overlap among symptoms.
For example, PMDD is characterized by symptoms like:
- Depressed mood
- Anxiety
- Tension
- Irritability
- Feelings of hopelessness
- Insomnia
- Fatigue
- Appetite changes
- Decreased interest in activities
- Problems concentration
- Feeling overwhelmed most of the time
- Feeling out of control
- Anger
- Paranoia
Depression is often characterized by all of these and by feeling tired or empty inside.
Figuring out which one you have can be difficult in large part because of the symptom overlap and because both conditions can result from serotonin deficiencies. However, there are key differences in the overlap of symptoms, namely the time frame.
- Premenstrual dysphoric disorder is characterized by having five or more depression symptoms that occur the week or two before a period, but these typically go away once a period starts.
- Depression symptoms might have a lot of overlap in terms of things like anxiety, depressed mood, appetite changes, and fatigue, but they tend to get worse during the second half of an ovulation cycle.
More than that, PMDD has additional physical symptoms that depression may not have, including:
- Sleeping disruption
- Hot flashes
- Night sweats
- Bloating
- Breast tenderness
Diagnostic Challenges
As mentioned, PMDD and depression can be difficult to diagnose because they have a strong overlap in symptoms.
It is important to note that women can have both conditions at the same time. If you have a major depressive disorder, you might also have PMDD. However, for many women, symptoms that relate to depression are often relegated to one condition over the other and might very well be PMDD based on the time frame.
Time frame is one of the ways that physicians can overcome the diagnostic challenges associated with differentiating between these two. Depression symptoms might get worse during the second half of your ovulation cycle, but if you have a major depressive disorder, those symptoms will remain relatively long-term, and they won’t only manifest based on your ovulation.
This is not the case with PMDD.
PMDD symptoms do manifest directly in accordance with your ovulation, which means they are much more easily tracked in terms of the time frame, and this can help doctors to determine what diagnosis might best explain your symptoms.
When you meet with a physician they will go over any possible explanations for your symptoms and rule out other conditions before landing on the correct diagnosis and helping you to develop a treatment plan.
Diagnosis and Treatment Strategies
Getting a diagnosis is an essential step toward recognizing whether you have PMDD or depression and differentiating between the two. Once you have a diagnosis, you can create an effective, personalized treatment strategy for your symptoms.
How to Differentiate PMDD from Depression
One of the main things that a physician will do when trying to differentiate PMDD from depression is to review the symptoms you have had, how frequently you have had them, and when you have had them.
You might be asked to keep a journal of your symptoms, particularly in accordance with a calendar relating to your ovulation or menstruation. This information can help determine whether symptoms appear a week or two prior to your periods and whether they get worse after your periods.
A professional healthcare team can help you differentiate between the two by reviewing the diagnostic criteria for a legitimate depression diagnosis from the DSM compared to the diagnostic criteria for PMDD as a health issue.
Effective Treatment Options for PMDD
There are several effective treatment options for PMDD. If you have been diagnosed with PMDD, you can consider a treatment plan that includes:
- SSRIs, or antidepressants, to help better regulate the amount of Serotonin you have, particularly during ovulation
- Cognitive behavioral therapy which can help you change your relationship to negative feelings and recognize the influence that your thoughts have on your emotions and your subsequent behaviors
- Birth control which can help regulate hormonal fluctuations and thereby reduce symptoms
- Lifestyle changes which may include improved sleep patterns when your symptoms are at their most severe, meditation and mindfulness strategies to reduce stress, better eating habits that remove things like sugar or caffeine, and increased exercise to help change the hormonal balance
It is always best to work with a team to create personalized treatment plans for your PMDD symptoms and monitor the efficacy of your plans and make changes accordingly.
Seeking Professional Help
If you are struggling with symptoms of PMDD or depression, it is important that you seek professional help so that you can get an accurate diagnosis and, from there, the right type of treatment. It is important to proactively manage your mental health, especially if symptoms of either are becoming severe enough to interfere with your daily life.
Summing Up
Can you have depression and PMDD? Yes. So, is it PMDD or depression? This depends on the diagnosis and symptoms. Given the overlap, it is important to get an accurate diagnosis and to seek professional help if you experience symptoms of either. It is always best to be proactive about the management of mental health, especially about symptoms of depression or PMDD.
