By Becky Upham – Medically Reviewed by Jason Paul Chua, MD, PhD
Reviewed: July 30, 2021
Migraine, depression, and anxiety often occur together, but a treatment that helps one may also help the others.
If you have migraine and a mood disorder such as depression or anxiety, you may wonder if these conditions are somehow connected. Although there is evidence that all of them have a genetic component, there are also environmental factors that can contribute to the likelihood of having depression or anxiety along with migraine.
For one thing, the reality of living with the pain and disability that migraine causes may contribute to depression. Likewise, the fear and anticipation of a future migraine attack can cause anxiety in many people.
But is there more to the connection? Learn what the experts say about the link between migraine, anxiety and depression, as well as what treatment options can help you manage these conditions.
Can Migraine Cause Depression?
It’s very common to have both migraine and depression, according to Loretta Mueller, DO, a headache specialist at Cooper University Health Care in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. “Depression is at least 2 to 3 times more common in people with migraine,” Dr. Mueller says.
“It seems to be a bidirectional relationship, which means if you have depression, you’re more likely to get migraine, or if you get migraine, you’re more likely to also have depression,” says Mueller.
According to the American Migraine Foundation, some people become depressed after living with migraine attacks for months or years, while others start having migraine attacks after living with depression.
Migraine often causes people to retreat to a dark room and miss work as well as social activities, which can have a major impact on quality of life.
Research published in Neurology found that having both migraine and depression was significantly associated with lower quality of life measures for both physical and mental health.
Can a migraine cause Anxiety?
click here to continue learning
——————————————-