PMDD Test (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder): Check Mood and Physical Symptoms
The PMDD Test, a short quiz, screens premenstrual symptoms and their impact using questions adapted from the PSST. Get instant symptom and interference scores to discuss with a clinician, plus an optional report.
Reviewed by Michael Callans, MSW 
PMDD Test (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder) is a free, confidential 19-question self-assessment, based on the validated PSST. It takes about 8 minutes, runs entirely in your browser, and gives you a plain-language score across 3 interpretation bands plus an optional in-depth report. It is an educational screening, not a diagnosis.
The symptoms and what they cost you, cycle after cycle
The PMDD Test explores severe premenstrual mood symptoms and their effect on work, relationships, and daily responsibilities. PMDD involves a recurring pattern linked to the menstrual cycle, with symptoms improving after menstruation begins. A questionnaire can suggest the need for assessment; daily records help a clinician evaluate the timing.
Premenstrual symptoms
The 14 PSST symptom items: anger and irritability, anxiety, tearfulness, low or hopeless mood, loss of interest, concentration trouble, fatigue, cravings, sleep changes, feeling overwhelmed, and physical symptoms. Each rated from not at all to severe.
Functional interference
Five items ask how much your premenstrual symptoms interfere with work, relationships with coworkers, relationships with family, social life, and home responsibilities. This adds important information about daily functioning. Impairment matters in assessment, alongside symptom timing, severity, and other possible explanations.
The real PSST criteria
The PSST does not use a simple total. It looks for at least one core mood symptom rated severe, four or more additional symptoms rated moderate to severe, and severe interference. We explain exactly how that rule works alongside your scores.
| Feature | Typical free quiz | Psychology.com |
|---|---|---|
| Validated PSST items | Rarely | Yes, all 19 items |
| Functional interference measured | No | Yes, 5 items scored separately |
| Real PSST criteria explained | Vague labels | Yes, in plain language |
| PMDD vs PMS vs depression distinguished | No | Yes, clearly |
| Clinician-reviewed interpretation | Rarely | Yes, clinician reviewed |
| Optional in-depth personalized report | No | Yes, written to your exact scores |
| Confidential (no data sent) | Often tracked | Runs in your browser |
How scoring works
Answers are scored 0–42 in total. Your result falls into one of 3 bands:
| Score | Band | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| 0–13 | Minimal premenstrual symptoms | Your answers put you in the lower range of the PSST symptom items. On this screening there is little sign of PMDD or severe PMS. |
| 14–27 | Moderate premenstrual symptoms | Your answers suggest premenstrual symptoms are a real monthly presence, in the range where the PSST starts distinguishing moderate to severe PMS from PMDD. |
| 28–42 | Severe premenstrual symptoms | Your answers describe a heavy premenstrual pattern, with many symptoms rated moderate to severe. This deserves proper assessment, not another cycle of pushing through. |
Who Is More Likely to Develop PMDD
Researchers have not found a single cause, but certain patterns raise the odds. A personal or family history of depression or anxiety, a history of trauma, and high sensitivity to reproductive hormone changes at other life stages, such as after childbirth, are all associated with a higher likelihood of PMDD (Yonkers et al., 2008). None of these guarantee PMDD, and plenty of people with PMDD have none of them; they simply help explain why the same monthly hormone pattern can feel manageable for one person and disabling for another.
PMDD is also frequently missed for years, partly because symptoms are dismissed as ordinary PMS and partly because the symptom-free stretch after each period makes the pattern easy to write off in hindsight. Daily tracking is what makes the pattern visible.
You can begin a daily record while arranging an appointment. Record mood, physical symptoms, bleeding, and effects on daily activities on days you feel well as well as days you struggle. Bring medication and contraceptive details too. The pattern across the whole cycle helps a clinician assess PMDD and symptoms of another condition that worsen premenstrually (Epperson et al.).
For a usable daily record, choose a routine time to note how you felt that day instead of reconstructing the week from memory. Describe practical effects, such as missing work, withdrawing from people, or struggling with household tasks. The Mood Tracker can help organize notes; ask your clinician whether they prefer the DRSP for formal assessment. A general mood log and a standardized daily rating form serve different purposes.
PMDD and Relationships: Why It Is Not Just Being Moody
PMDD irritability and rage can feel completely out of proportion to what is happening, which is confusing for the person experiencing it and for the people around them. Because the anger clears within days and the person often feels remorseful once it passes, partners and family sometimes read it as manipulation or a character flaw rather than a predictable, physiological pattern. Naming the pattern out loud, and sharing the timing with people close to you, can lower the temperature considerably.
If anger is the symptom that hits hardest, our Anger Issues Test looks at that pattern on its own and our anger management tool offers practical coping strategies for the days it flares. Our Relationship Satisfaction Test can help you see how premenstrual weeks are affecting a specific relationship. Couples counseling or individual therapy, alongside medical treatment for PMDD itself, often helps the most: the Psychology.com therapist directory is a good place to start looking for either.
Agree on a way to pause difficult conversations and return to them when you can both participate safely. Symptoms can help explain distress, while hurtful behavior still needs attention and repair. Anger Management offers a starting point for coping practice. The Depression Test in the tests hub may help describe low mood beyond the premenstrual phase; share its timing with your clinician rather than using that result to decide between conditions.
Is There a Blood Test for PMDD?
There is no blood or hormone test that confirms PMDD. The ISPMD consensus describes diagnosis as depending on the symptom pattern and its relationship to the menstrual cycle. A clinician may order tests to investigate other explanations for symptoms, but a normal hormone result does not invalidate the distress you are experiencing.
If your periods are irregular, absent, or affected by hormonal medication, describe this at your appointment. Record symptoms and bleeding as they occur instead of assuming a premenstrual window from a calendar prediction. A clinician can help interpret that record in the context of your reproductive and medical history. You can seek help before the pattern is clear.
Methodology & sources
The questions reproduce the Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool (PSST) developed by Steiner, Macdougall and Brown (2003), worded to stay faithful to the validated instrument while reading clearly. Part 1 covers 14 premenstrual symptoms and Part 2 covers five areas of functional interference, each rated not at all, mild, moderate, or severe. The PSST itself is scored with a categorical rule rather than a sum: a screen suggesting PMDD requires at least one of the four core mood symptoms (anger or irritability, anxiety or tension, tearfulness, depressed mood) rated severe, at least four additional symptoms rated moderate to severe, and at least one interference item rated severe. A milder version of the same rule, with moderate rather than severe anchors, suggests moderate to severe PMS. Because that rule cannot be shown as a single score, we present your symptom total with honest educational bands and your interference score separately, and explain the categorical criteria in your result.
This test is provided for education and self-reflection, not diagnosis. Even a positive PSST screen is only a starting point: the diagnostic standard for PMDD is prospective daily symptom tracking across at least two full menstrual cycles, usually with the Daily Record of Severity of Problems (DRSP), because retrospective memory of premenstrual symptoms is unreliable. A clinician also needs to rule out premenstrual exacerbation, where an ongoing condition such as depression or an anxiety disorder worsens before your period rather than appearing and clearing with it. Only a licensed clinician can diagnose PMDD.
The displayed symptom bands summarize this page's scores; they are not the original PSST categorical decision rule. A total cannot establish whether the required pattern of mood symptoms and interference is present. Keep the daily symptom record even if the screening result seems inconsistent with your experience, and seek care for significant disruption regardless of the band shown.
References
- Steiner M, Macdougall M, Brown E. The premenstrual symptoms screening tool (PSST) for clinicians. Arch Womens Ment Health. 2003;6(3):203-209. doi.org/10.1007/s00737-003-0018-4
- Endicott J, Nee J, Harrison W. Daily Record of Severity of Problems (DRSP): reliability and validity. Arch Womens Ment Health. 2006;9(1):41-49. doi.org/10.1007/s00737-005-0103-y
- Epperson CN, Steiner M, Hartlage SA, et al. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder: evidence for a new category for DSM-5. Am J Psychiatry. 2012;169(5):465-475. doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2012.11081302 Full text record: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22764360/
- Yonkers KA, O'Brien PM, Eriksson E. Premenstrual syndrome. Lancet. 2008;371(9619):1200-1210. doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(08)60527-9
- International Society for Premenstrual Disorders. Towards a consensus on diagnostic criteria, measurement and trial design of the premenstrual disorders: the ISPMD Montreal consensus. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4134928/
Cite this source
Psychology.com. (2026, September 16). PMDD Test (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder). Psychology.com. https://psychology.com/tests/pmdd
PMDD Test (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder) FAQ
What is the difference between PMDD and PMS?
PMS and PMDD can both involve physical and emotional symptoms before a period. PMDD involves prominent mood symptoms and substantial interference with daily life, within a recurring menstrual pattern. PMS can also be disruptive and deserve care. A clinician considers the kinds of symptoms, their severity, their timing, and the effect on functioning. The label cannot be decided from a symptom total alone, and this screening result cannot confirm either condition.
How is PMDD actually diagnosed?
Not with a one-time questionnaire. The diagnostic standard is tracking your symptoms every day across at least two full menstrual cycles, usually with a form called the Daily Record of Severity of Problems (DRSP). That prospective record lets a clinician confirm the symptoms cluster in the premenstrual phase and clear after bleeding starts. A screening like this one tells you whether that tracking is worth doing; a clinician makes the diagnosis.
Could it be depression instead of PMDD?
Depression or anxiety can persist throughout the month and become more intense before a period, a pattern called premenstrual exacerbation. PMDD involves symptoms that substantially improve after menstruation begins, with minimal or absent symptoms afterward. Daily records help a clinician distinguish these patterns and assess conditions that may coexist. Your screening score cannot settle the question, and symptoms outside the premenstrual phase also deserve attention.
Is this test a diagnosis?
No. It is a screening for education and self-reflection, based on the PSST. A high result suggests discussing your symptoms with a clinician and tracking them daily across menstrual cycles. It cannot tell you that you have PMDD, and a low result does not rule it out. You can arrange care while collecting that record; you do not need to wait if symptoms are disrupting your life.
Can PMDD be treated?
PMDD has treatment options, including SSRIs, certain hormonal contraceptives, and psychological support. The right choice depends on your symptom pattern, medical history, preferences, and possible side effects. A clinician can discuss the evidence and help you monitor your response. Avoid starting, stopping, or changing a prescribed medicine based on this screening result; use it to prepare questions for your appointment.
Why do I feel this bad only before my period?
Research links PMDD to sensitivity to normal reproductive hormone changes, although the mechanisms are still being studied. Symptoms that repeatedly worsen before a period are worth discussing with a clinician, but that timing alone does not establish PMDD. Daily tracking helps show whether symptoms ease afterward or remain present across the month. Your distress deserves care even while the explanation is being evaluated.
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