People who suffer from migraine headaches also suffer from mood and anxiety disorders. Researchers from Canada studied 7,124 adults to clarify the relationship between migraine and mental disorder. The participants in the study were followed-up for 12 months. Migraine was found significantly associated with depression, anxiety and mood disorder even after adjusting the socio-demographic factors. The common environmental and genetic factors influence both migraine and mood/anxiety disorders. A causal relationship may also exist between mental disorders and migraines. According to the researchers anxiety often precedes migraine, which often precedes depression. However, casual inferences could not be made due to the cross-sectional nature of the data. It was concluded that there is a strong association between migraine and mood and anxiety disorders.
General Hospital Psychiatry
January/February 2009