An Australian National University (ANU) researcher says labelling premenstrual symptoms as a psychiatric disorder is unethical and oppressive to women.

The comments come after the latest edition of the APA Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) included a new mental condition called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) – supposedly a more severe form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

ANU’s Dr Tamara Kayali Browne says it is clear that PMDD is not really a mental disorder.

“I am hoping PMDD will be seen as a form of sexism against women and that people will call for it to be deleted from the manual because I don’t think it should be there at all,” Dr Browne said.

Studies show that the symptoms women suffer are real and should be treated, but not as a mental illness, she said.

Dr Browne’s own research shows studies of women who present with the so-called PMDD symptoms found that the majority suffer from abuse, or problems with their work or relationships.

“It is not actually a medical disorder but a problem with their lives that should be addressed.”

“If it was a biological disorder you would expect it among women globally,” she said.

“So why is it that Western women seem to suffer much more from PMS and PMDD than women in developing countries?”

Dr Browne’s new paper, published in the latest edition of the Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, shows that PMDD is a culture-bound phenomenon, not a universal one.

She is hoping light can be shed on the possible misclassification, with PMDD now set to be included as a separate disorder in the upcoming edition of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) International Statistical Classifications of Diseases and Related Health Problems.