Headache and Depression

That people who suffer from chronic headaches stand a good chance of being depressed seems like a no-brainer. Of course, they're depressed - they're in pain!

One study indicates that 47% of migraineurs participating suffered from depression whereas only 17% of people without migraine experienced it. I hear you. What a waste of money, you're saying. But remember, they weren't studying people with the blues or even temporary depression due to the death of a loved one, a house fire, or some other true cause of grief. These people had clinical depression.

As we learn more about depression, we realize that the link between chronic headaches and depression isn't all that simple. It's more of a chicken or the egg question. Do the headaches come first, or the depression?

If you've never had a major depression, you're fortunate. It appears that 1 in every 6 of us has at least one major depression in our lifetime, and more than 5% of us suffer depression at this very moment. That's around 15 million people! It is estimated that this costs us as a nation $43 billion (with a "b") every year in medications, medical care, and lost time at work or school.

There's no way to express the emotional cost to us caused by suicides committed by people who are depressed. You probably know of someone who has done this since it is a leading cause of death in teens and young adults, as well as a worrisome problem with the elderly.

You know of famous people who suffered from depression as well: Tipper Gore, Mike Wallace, Abraham Lincoln, Dick Cavett, Winston Churchill, Ernest Hemingway, and even Mark Twain.

Despite the increasing knowledge about depression, many people don't seek help for it and that happens for two reasons. First, we hang onto that old belief my grandfather used to be so fond of - pick yourself up by your own bootstraps. In the case of a very mild depression you might just be able to do that, but clinical depression needs professional treatment. Second, getting professional help still carries some stigma and you might feel ashamed that you need that type of help, so you just carry on, weighted down by this terrible burden, when you could be on the road to better days through psychological counseling and/or medication.

Research tells us that both chronic severe headaches and depression have a negative effect on your quality of life. That much we all knew. But although the two conditions may coexist, not only are headache sufferers more likely to be depressed, depressed people are more likely to have chronic severe headaches.

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic