If you find your migraines depressing, you’re not alone. According to a recent study, people who suffer from migraines have a higher chance of experiencing major depressive episodes. And, the study authors add, the higher risk is present the other way around — those with major depressive episodes are also at a higher risk of having migraines.
Researchers from the University of Calgary in Canada gathered data from the Canadian National Population Health Survey, which included 15,254 people, who were followed-up on every two years for 12 years starting in 1994. They found that 15% of the study subjects had major depressive episodes (MDEs) and 12% had bouts of migraine during the 12-year period. According to their findings, migraine sufferers have a 60% higher risk of suffering from MDEs compared to people who never have migraines, and those who experienced MDEs have a 40% higher chance of developing migraine, compared to people without MDEs.
The authors of the study theorize that environmental factors such as childhood trauma and stress may explain this link, but exactly how this relationship works is still unknown. They say those who suffer from either migraines or clinical depression should learn the signs and symptoms of the other, i.e. migraine sufferers should know about depressive symptoms, and those suffering from major depressive episodes should know about migraine symptoms.
