Women With Migraines, More Depression

Women with chronic headache, especially migraines, are more likely to be depressed, feel tired and have other physical symptoms, says a U.S. study.

Study author Dr. Gretchen Tietjen of the University of Toledo-Health Science Campus says the study found women with chronic headache were four times more likely than those with episodic headache to report symptoms of major depression.

The study involved 1,032 women at headache clinics with 593 reporting episodic headache — fewer than 15 headaches per month — and 439 had chronic headache — more than 15 headaches per month. Ninety percent of the women were diagnosed with migraines.

Chronic headache sufferers were also three times more likely to report a high degree of symptoms related to headache, such as low energy, trouble sleeping, nausea, dizziness, pain or problems during intercourse, and pain in the stomach, back, arms, legs and joints, according to Tietjen.

Among patients diagnosed with severely disabling migraine, the study found the likelihood of major depression increased 32-fold if the patient also reported other severe symptoms, according to the study published in Neurology.

Painful physical symptoms may provoke or be a manifestation of major depression in women with chronic headache, and depression may heighten pain perception, says Tietjen.