Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)
Dr Lynsay Matthews leads UWS research on Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD).
PMDD is a severe mood disorder affecting 1 in 20 women (and people assigned female at birth). In the UK, over 824,000 women have PMDD, of which 593,600 will experience suicidal ideation, 412,000 will self-injure and 275,000 will attempt suicide.
Our research aims to inform interventions that support people with PMDD, impact clinical practice, and improve quality of life.
Current Projects
The UK PMDD research agenda (launched May 2023)
We worked alongside stakeholders to identify priorities for PMDD research. We collected insight from people with PMDD, health professionals, researchers, support organisations and emergency crisis personnel. Five important topics were highlighted: (1) diagnosis and treatment of PMDD; (2) best psychological approaches for support; (3) suicide and self-harm prevention; (4) the impact of PMDD on life; and (5) support for hormonal ‘trigger’ events such as perimenopause.
Considering 1 in 3 people with PMDD attempt suicide, this research agenda is vital. It will drive future research and help us understand the best ways to support people with PMDD.
This work was funded by ESRC and Research England.
PREMENSTRUAL DYSPHORIC DISORDER (PMDD) - The UK Research Agenda
Designing a roadmap for suicide prevention in PMDD
Funded by the ESRC Impact Accelerator Fund we will be working with people involved in emergency mental health crisis support, and suicide prevention researchers to create a roadmap for suicide prevention in PMDD. We will also include the important insights of people living with PMDD.
Want to be involved? Email lynsay.matthews@uws.ac.uk
Eating behaviours: What are the experiences of people with PMDD?
We interviewed people with PMDD about their eating behaviours and found that people with PMDD display disorders such as bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder and anorexia nervosa. Knowing this is important for developing the right type of support.
These research findings will be published soon – keep an eye on this page for details.
PMDD and eating behaviours: What does the evidence say?
We completed a systematic review of all studies that reported on PMDD and eating behaviours. We found that a diagnosis of PMDD is consistently associated with disordered eating. Our review found data suggesting possible mechanisms for PMDD’s impact on eating.
These research findings will be published soon – keep an eye on this page for details.
Exploring welfare benefits for PMDD: A socio-legal focus
We are currently exploring how PMDD is managed in relation to health benefit claims.
Typically, health benefit claims are paid for health conditions which impact people more than 50% of the time. However, this does not address fluctuating conditions such as PMDD where the detrimental impact of the disorder is present when symptoms resolve.
This project is in the early development stages – keep an eye on this page for details.
Collaborate with us
Do you have a PMDD research idea? Are you interested in working with us? We’d love to hear from you. Contact lynsay.matthews@uws.ac.uk for more information.
Find out more
This work at the University is being led by Dr Lynsay Matthews in the School of Health & Life Sciences. Visit Lynsay’s webpage below to find out more and subscribe to her newsletter.
Last updated: 15/05/2023