[How frequently is a headache the expression of endogenous depression?]

In a period of nine months, all patients referred for purely neurological assessment of headache were fully examined both neurologically and psychiatrically. In 68 of 148 patients the cardinal symptom of headache was found to be the expression of an endogenous depression (46%). This diagnosis was based on the presence of an endogenomorphic-depressive axis syndrome (as classified by Berger), follow-up observations, and the efficacy of antidepressive drug treatment. Neurological and other physical underlying illness was excluded.