Precipitating or aggravating factors for headache in patients with major depressive disorder

Ching I. Hung, Chia Yih Liu, Shuu Jiun Wang*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal Article peer-review

17 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the common precipitating or aggravating factors for headache among patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and to compare precipitating or aggravating factors specifically for migraine with those for other headaches. Methods: Consecutive psychiatric outpatients with MDD in a medical center were enrolled. Headaches were diagnosed based on the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 2nd Edition. A 21-item self-report questionnaire was used to identify precipitating or aggravating factors. Subjects were divided into migraine and other-headache groups. Results: Of 122 subjects (76% female) with headache, 63 (51.6%) were diagnosed with migraine. Mental stress and depressive symptoms were the most common precipitating or aggravating factors, and 17 factors affected >50% of the subjects. Compared with other-headache groups, the migraine group was more sensitive to emotional and perceptional stimuli and to the stress of daily activities. Conclusion: Treatment of depression and education of depressed patients about how to cope with mental stress might help to eliminate the negative impact of headache.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)231-235
Number of pages5
JournalJournal of Psychosomatic Research
Volume64
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 02 2008

Keywords

  • Depression
  • Headache
  • Migraine
  • Pain
  • Precipitating factors
  • Prevention

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