Abstract
In this study, it was aimed to investigate the early maladaptive schemas of patients with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).Patients who were followed up with the diagnosis of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) in the obstetrics outpatient clinic and referred to the psychiatry outpatient clinic to be evaluated in terms of PMDD diagnosis according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM–5) and diagnosed with PMDD as a result of the psychiatric examination were included in the study. 160 individuals (80 individuals as PMDD, 80 individuals as healthy control group) were included in the study. The mean age of the participants was 24.32±4.64. Of all participants, 22 (13.75%) were married and 138 (86.25%) were single. The majority of the participants, 112 (70%), were university graduates and 94 (59%) had a medium economic level. Punitiveness, emotional suppression and vulnerability subscale scores of the patient group diagnosed with PMDD were higher than the healthy controls (p<0.05). Approval-seeking, pessimism, introversion/dependence, and insufficient self-control schema scores were also found to be borderline insignificant in favor of the patient group. Emotional suppression scores of the single participants were higher than the married ones (p=0.01). When compared according to education levels, approval-seeking (p=0.021) and high standards (p=0.023) scores of those with a higher education level were found to be higher than those with a lower education level. For those living in the city, schema scores of introversion/dependence (p=0.027), punitiveness (p=0.021) and endurance (p=0.036) were calculated lower than the other groups.The results of the study presented that the schemas of punitiveness, emotional suppression and vulnerability were higher in the patient group than in the healthy controls. Approval-seeking, pessimism, introversion/dependence, and insufficient self-control schema scores were higher in the patient group, although they were not statistically significant. Early schema subscale scores of the patients were also found to be associated with some clinical variables.

Key words: Premenstrual dysphoric disorder, early maladaptive schemas, depression