Daily symptom ratings for studying premenstrual dysphoric disorder: A review

•Symptom diaries are required for diagnosing premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).•These diaries have also been used to study the pathophysiology of PMDD.•Few studies used the same diary and administered it on all menstrual cycle days.•Our review also revealed substantial variability in the diagnostic criteria of PMDD.•Future studies could examine within-person processes and use experience sampling.

BackgroundTo review how daily symptom ratings have been used in research into premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), and to discuss opportunities for the future.MethodsPsycINFO and Medline were systematically searched, resulting in the inclusion of 75 studies in which (1) participants met the diagnostic criteria for late luteal phase dysphoric disorder (LLPDD) or PMDD and (2) diaries were used to study LLPDD/PMDD.ResultsTo date, diaries have been used to gain insight into the aetiology and phenomenology of PMDD, to examine associated biological factors, and to assess treatment efficacy. We found low consistency among the diaries used, and often only part of the menstrual cycle was analysed instead of the whole menstrual cycle. We also observed that there was substantial variability in diagnostic procedures and criteria.LimitationsThis review excluded diary studies conducted in women with premenstrual syndrome, women seeking help for premenstrual complaints without a clear diagnosis, and women without premenstrual complaints.ConclusionsProspective daily ratings of symptoms and related variables provide a valuable and important tool in the study of PMDD. This paper addresses some options for improving the use of diaries and proposes the use of experience sampling and ecological momentary assessment to investigate within-person variability in symptoms in more detail.