Psychiatric comorbidity in patients with migraine: A standardized interview-based study.

BACKGROUND

Comorbidity of various psychiatric conditions with migraine is common and important. A thorough analysis of mental conditions in migraine is essential to encourage the holistic care of such patients.

AIM: To assess psychiatric comorbidity in patients with migraine using a well-standardized clinical diagnostic tool.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted in the outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital in North India. Persons with migraine attending the facility were enrolled as per the inclusion and exclusion criteria set for this study. The ICD-10 mental disorder symptom checklist was the principal tool to assess the psychiatric comorbidity in the patients.

RESULTS

Total Patients recruited were 146 out of which 70.5% had a psychiatric comorbidity. Depressive disorder (17.1%) was the most common while delusional disorder (4.1%) was the least common psychiatric disorder comorbid with migraine. Other comorbid psychiatric diagnoses were recurrent depressive episodes (6.8%), dysthymia (10.3%), bipolar affective disorder (7.5%), panic disorder (5.5%), generalized anxiety disorder (8.2%), mixed and other anxiety disorders (6.2%), obsessive-compulsive disorder (6.2%), post-traumatic stress disorder (4.8%), adjustment disorders (5.5%), dissociative (conversion) disorders (6.8%), and somatoform disorders (6.2%). Lower socioeconomic status and the presence of aura with migraine are two important patient-related factors linked with the occurrence of any psychiatric comorbidity in migraine.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of comorbid psychiatric disorders in migraine patients is very high. The relationship between demographic and medical information of people with migraine with individual psychiatric comorbidities is complex.