Transitional interpersonality thunderclap headache
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Published on: September 28, 2018
1Department of Medicine, Franklin Medical Center, Greenfield, MA, USA.
Objective:
To report a patient with multiple personality disorder who experienced severe acute headaches without warnings, solely during the transition between her host personality and her pain-prone personality.
Background:
The initial detailed description of headache in multiple personality disorder was made by Packard and Brown and published in this journal 15 years ago.
Methods:
Clinical history, neurologic examination, electroencephalogram, and brain magnetic resonance imaging.
Results:
A 54-year-old Holocaust survivor with an established diagnosis of multiple personality disorder had recurrent, excruciating, acute ("thunderclap") headaches only when switching between her domineering personality and her pain-prone personality, who suffered from chronic back pain. None of her personalities otherwise suffer from headaches. Electroencephalogram and brain magnetic resonance imaging were normal.
Conclusion:
This is an independent and current confirmation of the existence of transitional headaches in a patient with multiple personality disorder. They may occur as an isolated event during the switch process and have features of benign thunderclap headache.
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