Psychiatric comorbidities in patients with migraine

Background: Migraine disproportionately presents comorbidities with a variety of psychiatric illnesses. Identifying and managing comorbid illness is essential and can prove challenging in the treatment of migraineurs.
Aim: To study psychiatric comorbidities in patients with migraine
Patients and Methods: Seventy-seven patients aged 18 to 45 years visiting outpatient medicine clinic of the hospital for treatment of migraine were enrolled during Sep 2018 to May 2019 at Regional hospital, Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh. Patients with secondary headache, medication overuse headache and substance dependence were excluded from the study. Data was presented as frequency and percentages.
Results: 44% patients belonged to 18-25 years of age-group 77% of the migraine patients were females. 27% (n=21) of the migraine patients had completed secondary school education. 30% of the migraine patients had family history of migraine. Financial issue was the most common cause of stress in the patients with migraine (34%). 45% patients reported that they usually have more than 10 episodes of migraine in a month. Depression was the most common psychiatric co-morbidity in 67% patients followed by anxiety in 29% patients.
Conclusion: Migraine is more common in females than males with majority have frequency >10 episodes per month. Depression and anxiety are the most common psychiatric illness in these patients.