[Mental disorders and migraine: epidemiologic studies].

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Psychiatry
• Epidemiology

Context:

• Migraine is a prevalent neurological disorder.
• Previous clinical observations suggested a link between migraine and psychiatric conditions.
• Epidemiologic studies are crucial for understanding disease associations in the general population.

Purpose:

• To investigate the association between migraine and psychiatric comorbidities.
• To quantify the prevalence of various psychiatric disorders in individuals with and without migraine.
• To explore potential explanations for the observed comorbidity patterns.

Summary:

• Epidemiologic studies confirm a higher prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities in individuals with migraine compared to those without.
• Migraine is associated with increased risks of affective disorders (major depression, bipolar I disorder), anxiety disorders (panic, generalized anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, phobic disorders), and personality traits like neuroticism.
• The comorbidity is more pronounced in migraine with aura, but not associated with alcohol or illicit drug abuse. No clear psychopathological, biological, or genetic explanations are currently identified.
• Lifetime prevalence of major depression is 34.4% in migraineurs vs. 10.4% in non-migraineurs.
• Lifetime prevalence of anxiety disorders is significantly increased in migraineurs for panic disorder (10.9% vs. 1.8%), generalized anxiety disorder (10.2% vs. 1.9%), obsessive-compulsive disorder (8.6% vs. 1.8%), and phobic disorder (39.8% vs. 20.6%).
• Prevalence of bipolar I disorder is 6.8% in migraine with aura vs. 0.9% in those without migraine.

Impact:

• Findings support the need for routine psychiatric screening in migraine patients.
• Highlights the importance of addressing affective and anxiety disorders alongside migraine pain management.
• Emphasizes the clinical significance of migraine as a potential risk factor for serious psychiatric conditions and suicide attempts.