[Personality changes in chronic daily headache: a study in the general population]

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Psychiatry
• Personality Psychology

Context:

• Chronic daily headache (CDH) affects a significant portion of the general population.
• The personality profiles of individuals with CDH are not well-understood.
• Previous research has not extensively explored the link between personality disorders and CDH.

Purpose:

• To investigate the prevalence and characteristics of personality disorders in an unselected group of patients experiencing chronic daily headache (CDH).
• To analyze the personality profile of CDH patients within the general population.
• To determine if specific personality traits are associated with different types of chronic headaches or medication overuse.

Summary:

• A study of 89 chronic daily headache (CDH) patients from a general population sample (1,883 subjects) utilized the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Adult (EPQ-A).
• Results indicated that 60% of CDH patients displayed high neuroticism and psychoticism scores.
• A significantly higher percentage of patients with medication overuse (82%) showed maladaptive personality scores compared to non-abusers (53%).

Impact:

• Identifies a distinct personality profile (high neuroticism and psychoticism) common in chronic daily headache (CDH) patients.
• Highlights the increased prevalence of this personality profile in individuals with symptomatic medication overuse.
• Suggests that understanding personality traits may be crucial for effective CDH management and treatment strategies, particularly in cases of medication overuse.