Posted by shia on February 18, 2002, at 19:37:31
In reply to Re: PMDD - Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, posted by Cal on May 12, 2000, at 16:17:12
To Cal: I just read your message and it breaks my heart. I know exactly what you and your wife are going through. At the age of thirteen, when I had my first period, I noticed that I had mild mood swings. They got worse a year later. My parents sent me to several psychiatrists assuming my "problem" was your basic teenage rebellion. My parents and I had noticed that my mood swings were related to my menses. A week before my period I'd have extreme outbursts of anger,lots of energy (even though I would sleep for two hours per night)and a general feeling that I was out of control. The week of my period I would be severely depressed (sometimes suicidal), trouble concentrating plus a bunch of other emotional and physical symptoms. For the other two weeks of my cycle I was normal. The doctors all said that my mood swings had absolutely no relation to my period. I was diagnosed as manic depressive at the age of fourteen and was immediately sent to a psychiatric hospital for four and half months. I was put on various combinations of drugs, some that left me in a ghost like stupor. But I kept having the mood swings. Over a year ago I saw a talk show about PMDD. The first woman on the panel said she was diagnosed as a manic depressive during her late teens and had taken many different types of medication to no avail. She was finally diagnosed with PMDD in her forties. To think that this woman had to suffer for two decades astounds me. It is not right that your wife, myself and god knows how many women had to suffer simply because there is not enough research and information or that doctors don't care enough to dig deeper when patients complain of various symptoms. All the information I have found were on the internet and in holistic medical books. If you would like any recommendations or would like to chat please feel free to e-mail me at shiapet715@aol.com. I am 25 now and although I spent a decade of my life treating a disorder (manic depression) that I did not have instead of PMDD is upsetting. But I take comfort in knowing that I am no longer alone and now for the first time in my life I look forward to my future and each upcoming month with hope instead of dread. I wish you and your wife my best wishes and good health.
Sincerely,
Shia
poster:shia
thread:3315
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020215/msgs/94547.html