Health
PMS debate stirs controversy
- hillary olson illustration
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a disorder characterized by the hormonal changes that trigger unpleasant symptoms up to two weeks prior to menstruation. According to www.usdoctor.com, more than 5 million women require medical treatment for marked mood and behavioral changes.
According to www.nytimes.com, the American Psychiatric Association is revisiting whether a severe form of PMS called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) should be added as an official mental illness diagnosis.
If this occurs, there could be further complications regarding societal discrimination toward women, but it could also be a benefit toward women who actually do suffer from PMDD.
Junior Elizabeth Etter describes her experiences regarding the fluctuation of feelings regarding PMS.
“I get pissed. I get really mad. It’s kind of up and down. Sometimes I’m mad, and then sometimes I’m really happy, and I don’t ever want to do anything but eat cookie dough,” Etter said.
Women who claim they have PMS often experience gender discrimination for using PMS as an excuse for any abnormal behavior. Nurse Jeanne Mark believes that it just depends on the person or situation.
“Everyone has different pain tolerance. For instance, I thought childbirth was a breeze. I think it just depends on pain tolerance. It’s very subjective,” Mark said.
Senior James Smith has a slightly different opinion on the subject.
”I’m pretty sure every girl uses it as an excuse,” Smith said.
In terms of romantic relationships, it may appear that a female will use PMS as an excuse for her crabby behavior and ill treatment toward her partner. Smith said he chooses his words to his girlfriend, senior Lana Pham carefully.
”I try not to say the wrong thing because it is like walking through a minefield. I try to keep her happy,” Smith said.
Etter said that her boyfriend does not mind her when she is on PMS.
“He does not really get into it, although I get really pissed when I am on PMS,” Etter said.
Some medical professionals have labeled PMS simply as a socially constructed disorder. Women’s health activists have argued that having a diagnosis of PMDD would stigmatize many women by wrongly labeling them mentally ill, and would make them more vulnerable to discrimination in the workplace or child custody battles.
“I think in the workplace, it probably is used against them. Also, like being a caregiver for children, and when the children get sick, we have to take off work and that can be used against us,” Mark said.
Some feminists argue that the symptoms that are associated with PMS are often in conflict with the way a woman “should” behave, which can be used to enforce gender stereotypes. Some feminists also argue that PMS demeans or pathologizes the female reproductive system.
”It would be a huge disadvantage and women would be discriminated even more,” Etter said.
If the diagnosis of PMDD is made official, it would help validate the experiences of women who do have PMDD. Health insurers would be more likely to cover treatments for it, and it could allow for increased development and research of new drug therapies.
”PMS is very real. Probably some people have it more real than others. It’s more of a mental disorder than physical,” Mark said.
Some researchers and professionals claim that more scientific research needs to be made in order to garner scientific proof. Even if the biological aspects are sufficient enough to label PMDD as an actual mental disorder, the societal and political factors will still be existing issues.