Ensuring that PMDD is recognised in the WHO's (World Health Organisation) International Classification of Diseases
27 Jan 2012
Calling on all sufferers to campaign for this vitally important change
The international Society for Premenstrual Disorders (ISPMD) chaired by Professor Shaughn O’Brien is working on a consensus statement which will be submitted to the WHO for modification of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 11
At grass roots level NAPS member Cat Stone has already started a campaign on behalf of sufferers and is making significant progress. NAPS is appealing to all readers of the bulletin and visitors to the Home Page to respond to the appeal from Cat. Please do not leave this to others; your voice matters. If only a few women take the trouble to do what Cat is doing and asking you to do then it will be all too easy for PMDD to be dismissed as something only experienced by a small number of women and we all know that is not the case.
Request to NAPS from Cat Stone
"I have been working on trying to get PMDD raised within the Houses of Parliament and have had a really supportive response from my MP, Steve Brine. He has forwarded details on to the Department of Health and I received a lovely letter from Anne Milton MP on behalf of the DOH. I am trying to make sure that PMDD gets recognition in the WHO's International Classification of Diseases in 2015. Currently it is only in the draft, which doesn't necessarily mean it will be published and included. I have just written to my MEP's and the WHO, and published a blog about how women can help push this into the realms of the powers that be. I wondered if you would share my blog with your members? You can find it here - http://meetmypmdd.blogspot.com/2012/01/be-change-get-involved-write-letter.html
My MP said the best way is for sufferers to write to their MP's and get the topic raised within that environment. MEP's are even better as they deal with more global issues.
A personal letter cannot be dismissed by an MP, and I'm sure we could really raise awareness by getting ladies to send in letters about their PMDD."
Our thanks to Cat for her excellent initiative. It’s now up to all of us individually to ensure that we make a difference and ensure proper recognition of PMDD. As Nick Panay, NAPS Chairman and member of the ISPMD panel working on the consensus,commented, “The work pioneered by Cat Stone is excellent as it will increase the head of pressure for the change we are hoping to implement through the ISPMD group.”
