World Mental Health Day · Cycle & Mind
Hormones are mental-health drivers. We name the cycle phases that drag mood, and what helps.
PMDD affects 3–8% of menstruating people; many more experience PMS-spectrum mood symptoms that are dismissed as personality. Hormonal contributors to depression, anxiety, and insomnia are real biology — and tractable. This campaign week makes that biology visible and gives every user a concrete next step.
What lands this week
PMDD self-screen
DRSP (Daily Record of Severity of Problems) for 2 cycles, in-Care. Results help a clinician differentiate PMDD from generalised depression.
Phase-aware journal
Care's journal tagged by cycle phase — pattern recognition over 3 months becomes a clinical conversation starter.
Guided breathing + meditation
5 short audio sessions, phase-coded. CBT + DBT-backed micro-exercises.
The week
- Oct 6Open
PMDD screen live in Care. WhatsApp daily card opens.
- Oct 10WMHD
Doodle takeover. Sakhi takeover by a reproductive psychiatrist.
- Oct 12Wrap
Pattern-of-mood-over-cycle insight published to anyone who logged ≥3 weeks.
Common questions
PMDD vs PMS — what is the difference?
PMS is mild-to-moderate mood and physical symptoms in the week before periods. PMDD is severe — disabling mood symptoms (rage, hopelessness, anxiety) tied tightly to the luteal phase, that lift within a few days of bleeding starting. PMDD needs clinical care; PMS often responds to lifestyle changes.
When should I see a doctor?
If mood symptoms disrupt work, relationships, or sleep for 3+ cycles; if you have thoughts of self-harm at any point; if anxiety or depression persists outside the luteal week. Take the 2-cycle DRSP first — it gives a clinician something concrete to work with.
What is reproductive psychiatry?
A subspecialty that focuses on hormone-driven mental-health conditions — PMDD, perinatal depression, perimenopausal mood changes. Reproductive psychiatrists understand both cycles and medications, so their treatment plans factor in both. See /care/care-team to find one.
Are PMDD medications safe long-term?
SSRIs (often used cyclically, only in luteal phase, for PMDD) and hormonal options have strong long-term safety data. Every medication has trade-offs; a reproductive psychiatrist can help you weigh them for your situation. Don't start or stop on your own.
For ten years I thought I was a difficult person two weeks a month. The DRSP and my reproductive psychiatrist named it: PMDD. Six months on the right plan and I feel like myself for the first time.
Keep going
This campaign is one nudge. Here's where it leads on SHELY.
Get notified about the next campaign
One short email per week, plus a heads-up when the next women's-health campaign goes live. Indian voices, no spam.
Related campaigns
International Women's Day
A five-day series celebrating the women keeping families, hospitals, and clinics running — and what their bodies put up with.
Karva Chauth · Fasting + Your Cycle
You can fast safely if your cycle phase + hydration + iron allow it. Here's how to know — and how to opt out without family fallout.
First Period · Welcome to the Flow
Year-round. The first time a user logs a first-ever period in Care, this whole experience triggers.