Monitoring Affective State Change with Wearable Technology: Assessing Physiological and Behavioral Mechanisms in Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder

If you suffer during the week before menstruation from depression, anxiety, irritability or mood swings, and these symptoms are severe enough to interfere with normal functioning or interpersonal relationships – you are not alone! Up to 30% of reproductive age women suffer from clinically significant premenstrual symptoms (PMS). 

Smartphone devices and wearable technology offer a unique opportunity to provide real-time monitoring with a variety of sensors that can passively collect data. We will use a depression subtype with a known, frequent, and regularly occurring (monthly) trigger, premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), as a model to investigate mechanisms of affective state switching using real-time monitoring data. 

What is involved? 

Participation involves a free diagnostic evaluation for menstrually related mood disorder (MRMD) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).  After screening, eligible women will wear a Garmin Vivosmart 4 for 3 months and complete mood ratings 3 times daily. The utilization of commercially available wearable technology will provide passively-collected, moment-by-moment behavioral and physiological data/ 

Am I eligible? 

We are looking for women who: 

1) Are between the ages of 18-52 

2) Have mood symptoms only pre-menstrually, and not after the end of menstruation 

3) Are medically healthy and not currently taking hormonal or psychiatric medications 

Contact us or learn more! 

Please contact Julianna Prim (julianna_prim@med.unc.edu) for more information and take our 5 minute eligibility survey!  

UNC Institutional Review Board contact: 919-966-3113, irb_subjects@unc.edu  

IRB study # 21-1268