Question
What are effective therapeutic interventions for premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)?
Answer
Pharmacological options are shown to be quite impactful for clients with PMDD, although non-pharmacological methods are also helpful. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods combined with therapy can help support and reduce the impact of PMDD. Therapeutic interventions can do a few things for PMDD. First, it can help support those lifestyle changes that a doctor might be recommending in addition to any sort of medication. We can also offer emotional and mental support as a client begins to explore medications as a feasible option for navigating their PMDD. So, we can provide psychoeducation and then also just be a supportive space for them to build those coping skills and sort of understand and manage their physical and emotional and mental experiences that are going on.
Two useful treatment options for PMDD when it comes to therapeutic interventions are cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy has been shown to be effective in numerous studies. It has been shown to help improve the ability to deal with emotional and physical symptoms of PMDD and has been shown to be especially helpful for the development and maintenance of coping skills and stress management. So, CBT can be used to understand sort of the thoughts going on the moods, going on in the behaviors going on, and to help build sort of a more stable foundation and in approaching treatment and sort of regulating emotional and mental experiences that are going on due to the PMDD diagnosis.
The second helpful therapeutic treatment option for PMDD is mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. So again, this has been researched and it has been shown to help individuals with the acceptance of the experience of PMDD and then reduce a sense of anxiety and depression. So especially in those early stages of being diagnosed with PMDD or even noticing the symptoms, a lot of clients express frustration, judgment, shame, disappointment and anxiety about this diagnosis.
This Ask the Expert is an edited excerpt from the webinar, Hormone Cycle and Mental Health: Clinical Considerations, presented by Lily Ostler, MSW, LMSW
