What is the connection between depression and migraine headaches?
Ask the doctor
Q. Is there a link between depression and headaches?
A. There is a connection between the frequency of headaches and the severity of depression. One of the symptoms depressed people experience is headache. And as headaches become more intense and frequent, it is more likely that a person will become more depressed.
But not all severe headaches are migraines.
Of all headaches, migraine headaches have been most frequently studied, and many researchers have observed a close relationship between migraines and depression. For example, in people who have a clear diagnosis of migraine, when compared to a control group, their frequency of major depression is almost triple. The reverse is also true: people with depression are more likely than non-depressed people to develop migraine.
It might help to review the classic description of a migraine headache, because people sometimes use the word migraine to describe any very bad headache.
The classic migraine headache is severe. It may be preceded by symptoms that warn the person that the migraine is on its way. Classically, there is throbbing pain on one side of the head.
The headache may last from a few hours up to as much as three days. Physical activity makes the pain worse. People often feel sick to their stomachs. Light or sounds can be intolerable. This is why many people lie down in a dark, silent room when they get a migraine.
In a third of people with migraines, the warning symptoms can include an aura, usually a visual experience such as flashing lights or a blind spot. Some people will have difficulty with speech or movement.
However, migraine can be tricky to diagnose because the symptoms may not be the typical ones.
Many experts believe that depression and migraine have common biological or genetic roots. That is, the same biological factors that make some people vulnerable to depression can also make them vulnerable to migraine headaches.
If you do have both depression and migraine headaches, that can be very difficult to bear. Fortunately, good treatments are available for both.
Image: © South_agency/Getty Images
About the Author
Howard E. LeWine, MD, Chief Medical Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
Disclaimer:
As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles.
No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
