Migraine Headache Treatment: Mind

Migraine headaches have also shown to be responsive to Hypnosis and Biofeedback. These solutions can be as effective as medication but will likely take a longer period of treatment. The advantage is that they have few side effects associated with them.

Migraine Headaches are also linked with Depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. In these cases, it is critical to address these underlying health challenges to relieve the migraine headaches.

Link between Depression and Migraine Headaches

Physicians commonly acknowledge to patients that their condition is affected my their emotions. Researchers in the Netherlands seem to have found a stronger, genetic link between migraines and depression. Recent studies in the USA and Europe demonstrate that people who are depressed are much more likely to experience migraines, and in 2 large Canadian studies, 67 % of patients who were clinically diagnosed with depression or anxiety experienced frequent migraine headaches, and 18% of them experienced daily migraines headaches..

For many years, physicians have observed a close connection between mental health and migraine headaches. Research is beginning to show that many people who suffer from various types of mental illness will also have headaches or migraines. Patients may fel overwhelmed coping with migraines and depression at the same time. There is gradual movement in medicine towards addressing depression and migraine headaches together, not only with medication, but also with counseling and psychotherapy.

Link between Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Migraine Headaches

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is one common cause underlying cases of chronic, clinical depression. PTSD occurs in some individuals after a traumatic emotional or physical event. These individuals feel anxiety or depression in certain situations after experiencing emotional or physical trauma, such as after childhood abuse, divorce, an accident, or or after return from a military deployment. This condition has received a lot of attention and is well-researched by the US government and military. Recent research on migraine and PTSD demonstrates that when migraine headache sufferers also have PTSD, they tend to have a higher degree of disability, or a reduced level of functioning and quality of life than migraine sufferers without PTSD.

In patients with migraines and depression, PTSD occurs more frequently in sufferers of chronic daily headaches (CDH), than in those with episodic migraines (EM), that vary in frequency. Many patients with migraines experienced a traumatic event, stress, or significant life change close to the time when their migraines began or worsened, demonstrating a clear link between stress, post-traumatic-stress and migraine.

Treatment for Depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Migraine

Psychotherapy that may include hypnotherapy and/or medications are used to treat patients with depression. Research studies are currently underway to study the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating PTSD by the US government and the National Institutes of health (NIH).

• Migraine Headache and Hypnotherapy
• Migraine Headache and Biofeedback

Hypnotherapy can be used be treat migraine headaches and some studies have shown that hypnosis can be as effective as medication in treating migraine headaches.

Read more about Migraine Headache and Hypnotherapy.

Patients with migraine have been able to learn to direct blood flow into their hands and other regions of the body during a migraine attack. This is significant because cold hands are a frequent...

Read more about Migraine Headache and Biofeedback.

Mark Foley, D.O. 2010 Headaches and Migraine (Online) http://headaches.about.com/b/2010/01/14/migraines-and-depression-linked.htm, accessed 03.16.2010

Fasmer, Ole Bernt, M.D., et al. 2005 Are Migraines and Bipolar Disorder Related? Psychiatric Times. Vol. 19 No. 8., accessed 03.16.2010

Seymour Diamond, M.D. 2009 (Online) http://www.headaches.org/education/HeadacheTopicSheets/DepressionandHeadache,accessed 03.16.2010

Peterlin, Lee, D.O. 2009 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Migraine Headache. Volume 49 Issue, accessed 03.16.2010