Vicky Pattison left feeling 'suicidal' by PMDD symptoms for two weeks a month
Vicky Pattison has revealed that her premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) symptoms leave her feeling "suicidal" for two weeks of every month.
The 37-year-old reality star was diagnosed with premenstrual dysphoric disorder in 2023 after five years of having her symptoms "dismissed" by doctors.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain today (December 11) about how her condition effects her mental health, Pattison said: "I suffer from PMDD and it manifests itself in differently in different women my particular symptoms include crippling anxiety, exhaustion, feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness.
"For me, for 10 days to two weeks of the month - and I know I’m not depressed, I know I like my life and I’m very fortunate - but I have to convince myself that the world is a better place for having me in it. I feel, it is suicidal, that’s how it is."
PMDD is thought to impact 5-8% of people who menstruate, according to the National Association of Premenstrual Syndromes. A recent study from the University of Oxford also estimated that approximately 31 million women and girls worldwide could be "silently" grappling with this disorder, which is difficult to diagnose as there’s no standardise test.
The Geordie Shore star explained that PMDD is often describe as "PMS on steroids", but that "doesn’t do it justice." PMS is premenstrual symptoms, which it is common for women to experience in the days or week before their period.
Pattison went onto to list physical symptoms such as "aches and pains, exhaustion, cramps and breast pain" but admitted she struggles most with the mental side of the battle.
"Your mental symptoms - which is where I really struggle - is your mood swings, erratic behaviour, feelings of hopelessness, depression and genuine belief that the world would be a better place without you in it," she added.
Despite the severity of her symptoms, Pattison said she had a "horrendous" experience with predominantly male doctors, who made her feel "ashamed" and shrugged off her symptoms.
"Honestly my experiences when I went to discuss my symptoms were horrendous," she continued, "for five years I was dismissed. I was made to feel ashamed and for the majority of time it was men [as her GP]"
"I think they lack an understanding and empathy towards what we’re going through as women whether that be PMDD, adenomyosis, endometriosis. They are not being given the correct information and education to be able to treat a woman going through what those women are."
Read more about PMDD:
PMDD: How to recognise the symptoms and start treating this underdiagnosed area of menstrual health (Euro News, 6-min read)
'My PMS symptoms were so extreme, I was hospitalised for my own safety' (Yahoo Life, 11-min read)
Woman diagnosed with PMDD after hearing about symptoms on Loose Women (Yahoo Life, 5-min read)
