Different personality profiles in patients with cluster headache: a data-driven approach.

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Psychiatry
• Psychology

Background:

• Cluster headache (CH) frequently co-occurs with mood disorders, yet its psychopathological facets remain under-investigated.
• Understanding personality traits in CH is crucial for comprehensive patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify distinct personality trait profiles in cluster headache patients.
• To explore the association between these personality profiles and clinical characteristics of CH.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III for personality assessment in 56 CH patients.
• Applied principal component analysis (PCA) to discern psychological functioning patterns.
• Employed hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) to classify patient subgroups based on identified patterns.

Main Results:

• A high prevalence of personality dysfunctions (87%) was observed in CH patients.
• PCA identified two key dimensions: psychological dysregulation (PD) and social engagement (SE).
• High PD correlated with longer disease duration and greater psychopathology; SE related to higher education and younger age. HCA revealed three groups, with high PD/low SE indicating the most adverse psychological profile.

Conclusions:

• Personality disorders are prevalent in CH, manifesting in diverse patterns.
• A combination of high psychological dysregulation and low social engagement represents a significant mental health concern in CH.
• Integrating personality insights with medical history can guide personalized therapeutic strategies for CH management.