Emotional Carnage - Queendom.com Releases Results of New Study on The Impact of PMS On Women’s Emotional Health
Montreal, Canada (PRWEB) December 14, 2013 -- Cramps, bloating, and acne will often leave women wanting to curl up on their couch for a week each month, but according to 1,893 women who took Queendom.com’s PMS Test, the physical impact of Premenstrual Syndrome is not as painful as the emotional one. When there are websites dedicated entirely to taking a light-hearted look at PMS (jokes and quizzes included), it’s an attempt to find humor, camaraderie, anything – to help add meaning to an often misunderstood and chaotic time in women’s lives.
A study conducted by Queendom.com attempted to understand the aspects of PMS that tend to be the most problematic. PMS and PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, a more severe and debilitating form of Premenstrual Syndrome) are not officially part of the DSM-IV, the diagnostic manual of psychological disorders. Yet, for many women, it’s the fluctuations in mood and thinking that tend to cause the most difficulties.
Assessing various symptoms and their level of severity, Queendom’s analysis of nearly 2,000 women reveals that:
• Emotional symptoms tend to be the most difficult to deal with, with an average score of 51 (on a scale from 0 to 100). Anger/Irritability is the biggest problem (score of 56), followed by Impulsivity (52), Anxiety (48), and Sadness (47).
• Cognitive Symptoms, with an average score of 49, also cause problems for many women, particularly Exaggerating Thinking (51) and Attention/Concentration Difficulties (47).
• The Physical Symptoms (average score of 36) that have the most notable impact include Fatigue and Sleep Problems (59), Cramps (55), and Increased food intake/cravings (51).
• Women of all ages agreed that fatigue, cramps, anger, impulsivity, and exaggerated thinking were the most problematic symptoms, but women over 25 were more likely to eat more and to crave unhealthy food when dealing with PMS.
“Initially, it seemed that the level of severity, as reflected in the average scores was not extremely worrisome,” points out Dr. Jerabek, president of the company. “However, when we started to dig deeper and analyze women’s responses to individual questions, we started to see a different picture. For example, only 20% of women rated their overall PMS symptoms as mild; 47% rated them as moderate. There is, however, another 33% of women who rated their experience as severe – that’s one third of our sample whose symptoms are so bad that it affects their life to a debilitating degree. And when we analyzed which area of women’s lives is most impacted by PMS, it was relationships that came out on top. In addition, 8% of women admitted that they’ve had a relationship end due to their difficulties with PMS, and another 12% said that while it wasn’t the only cause of conflict, it was a contributing factor in a break-up. This is a cause for concern,” explains Dr. Jerabek.
Queendom’s study on PMS also reveals that:
• 44% of women rated their emotional symptoms (anger, irritability, sadness, anxiety, etc.) as severe, 38% as moderate, 18% as mild.
• 19% have consulted a medical or mental health professional for help on dealing with PMS symptoms; 27% are considering it, and 2% have been officially diagnosed with PMDD.
• 10% have been reprimanded at work/school, or lost a job, due to PMS symptoms; 7% said that it contributed to the problem, but wasn’t the only cause of conflict.
When dealing with PMS…
• 17% feel suicidal.
• 35% feel unable to console themselves, or to be consoled by others.
• 37% make decisions without thinking them through.
• 39% jump to conclusions or misjudge people/situations.
• 40% feel hopeless.
• 40% eat more calories than usual.
• 41% start to have doubts that have no basis in reality – fear of their partner leaving, fear of being fired, etc.
• 42% start to suspect that other people don’t like them, or are talking about them behind their back.
• 44% say things that they later regret.
• 44% dislike themselves or feel unlovable.
• 45% said that their self-esteem takes a serious hit.
• 49% worry about things they normally wouldn’t.
• 50% feel a sense of dread.
• 51% become argumentative.
• 51% obsess over problems in their life.
• 53% of women said that they get irritated or impatient about the smallest things.
• 53% cry for minor reasons or for no reason at all.
• 55% feel physically drained.
• 59% exaggerate the seriousness of negative events, making them more upsetting than it should be.
“We understand that PMS is often the butt of many jokes, but for some women, there is little humor in it,” explains Dr. Jerabek. “I don’t endorse adding it to the DSM as an ‘official’ mood disorder. However, it is important to understand that women don’t intentionally lash out or use PMS as excuse to do so. Education, some lifestyle changes, and a little more understanding and empathy can go a long way,” concludes Dr. Jerabek.
Interested in finding out more about your PMS symptoms? You can take the PMS Test at: http://www.queendom.com/tests/take_test.php?idRegTest=3232
About Queendom.com
Queendom.com is a subsidiary of PsychTests AIM Inc. Queendom.com is a site that creates an interactive venue for self-exploration with a healthy dose of fun. The site offers a full range of professional-quality, scientifically-validated psychological assessments that empower people to grow and reach their real potential through insightful feedback and detailed, custom-tailored analysis.
About PsychTests AIM Inc.:
PsychTests AIM Inc. originally appeared on the internet scene in 1996. Since its inception, it has become a pre-eminent provider of psychological assessment products and services to human resource personnel, therapists, academics, researchers and a host of other professionals around the world. PsychTests AIM Inc. staff is comprised of a dedicated team of psychologists, test developers, researchers, statisticians, writers, and artificial intelligence experts (see ARCHProfile.com). The company’s research division, Plumeus Inc., is supported in part by Research and Development Tax Credit awarded by Industry Canada.
Ilona Jerabek, PhD, PsychTests AIM Inc., http://testyourself.psychtests.com/, +1 (514) 745-3189 Ext: 112, [email protected]
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