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Depression, automatic thoughts, alexithymia, and assertiveness in patients with tension-type headache
Basak Yücel1, Kaan Kora, Süleyman Ozyalçín
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey.
Headache
|March 21, 2002
Summary
Individuals with tension-type headache exhibit higher depression, automatic thoughts, and alexithymia, alongside lower assertiveness compared to controls. Chronic headache sufferers show increased depression and automatic thoughts.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neurology
- Medical Science
Background:
- Psychological factors are crucial in understanding headache disorders.
- Previous research has explored the link between mental health and headaches.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess depression, automatic thoughts, alexithymia, and assertiveness in tension-type headache (TTH) patients.
- To compare these psychological factors between TTH patients and healthy individuals.
Main Methods:
- 105 TTH patients and 70 controls were evaluated.
- Standardized psychological assessments including Beck Depression Inventory, Automatic Thoughts Scale, Toronto Alexithymia Scale, and Rathus Assertiveness Schedule were used.
- Sociodemographic data and headache characteristics were collected.
Main Results:
- TTH patients demonstrated significantly higher depression, automatic thoughts, and alexithymia scores than controls.
- Patients with TTH exhibited lower assertiveness scores compared to healthy controls.
- Chronic TTH was associated with higher depression and automatic thoughts scores than episodic TTH.
Conclusions:
- Tension-type headache is linked to elevated depression and potential difficulties in emotional expression.
- Headache chronicity correlates with the presence of depression, highlighting the impact of headache frequency on mental health.