What do PMDD patients want in a mental health program?
Women’s Health, Jun 2025 | Link to Publication
This post summarizes a study that is near and dear to IAPMD. We were excited to collaborate with Dr. Jennifer Gordon for this project. Dr. Gordon is the Chair of the IAPMD Clinical Advisory Board and an Associate Professor at the University of Regina, Canada.
We wanted to create a PMDD-specific self-guided psychotherapy intervention that addresses the unique challenges of living with PMDD. However, first, we needed to know what those with PMDD want in a mental health program. We surveyed 308 people with PMDD (or similar severe symptoms), mostly from the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, and the Netherlands.
Top-rated priorities identified by survey responders include:
Coping skills for extreme negative thoughts, hopelessness, anxiety, and suicidal or self-harming thoughts.
Help managing relationships, especially with romantic partners and children.
Clear, science-based information about treatments and how hormones and life stages (like pregnancy or menopause) affect symptoms.
Self-care and safety plans (for example, knowing what to do when symptoms feel overwhelming).
Integrating program with daily symptom tracking.
Preferences for how the program should be delivered:
Self-paced, online programs with weekly updates, videos, and audio options were more preferred.
Access to a therapist or professional when needed, and the ability to track symptoms, were also valued.
Some humor, peer support, and self-help exercises were preferred by many.
People with PMDD want mental health programs that offer practical help for their most distressing symptoms, support for relationships, clear and accurate information, flexible and interactive formats, and tools to track their progress. These patient priorities are now guiding the development of new, tailored support options
