Premenstrual Disorders

epilepsy : Any of vari- ous disorders char- acterized by a distur- bance of the electrical rhythm of the central nervous system, fre- quently manifested by convulsions.

Premenstrual disorders may make it hard for friends to get along.

If a woman has PMDD, these symp- toms will be so severe that they inter- fere with work, school, usual social activities, and her relationships with others. Many times grade scores are lower at this time; a woman who normally completes her work eas- ily will have trouble concentrating on the task. Another criterion for PMDD is that it cannot be merely an in- crease in severity of another disorder’s symptoms (such as a mood disorder, panic disorder, or a personality disorder). PMDD may trig- ger a panic attack or some other symptom of another disorder, but its symptoms must be charted for at least two menstrual cycles, so that the symptoms can be seen to cluster around menstruation. Although the monthly hormone cycle causes its own problems, thesechangeshavebeenknownto induceattacksof chronicproblems to women suffering from epilepsy , connective tissue diseases (such

23 •

DeFining Premenstrual Syndrome