Examination of anxiety, hostility and psychiatric disorders in patients with migraine and tension‐type headache

The role of psychological factors related to headache has long been a focus of investigation. The aim of this study was to evaluate anxiety, depression, hostility and psychological symptoms in patients with migraine and tension‐type headache (TTH) and to compare the results with healthy controls. Seventy‐five subjects with migraine and 55 subjects with TTH (according to the criteria of the International Headache Society classification) and a control group including 73 healthy subjects were studied. The Buss–Durkee Hostility Inventory, Brief Symptom Inventory, State‐trait Anxiety Inventory, Trait form were administered to the subjects. Compared with healthy controls, the patients with headache had significantly higher scores on measures of anxiety, depression and hostility and lower scores on psychological symptoms. The present results indicate the need to distinguish the unique dimensions of anxiety, depression and hostility that should be assessed in the population with headaches.

[1]  S. Kalichman,et al.  Anxiety and anger as predictors of MMPI elevations in chronic pain patients. , 1986, Journal of personality assessment.

[2]  D. Marcus.  Identification of Patients With Headache at Risk of Psychological Distress , 2000, Headache.

[3]  Ye-han Wang,et al.  Personality Traits in Migraine and Tension-Type Headaches: A Five-Factor Model Study , 2002, Psychopathology.

[4]  T. W. Smith.  Hostility and health: current status of a psychosomatic hypothesis. , 1992, Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association.

[5]  Classification and diagnostic criteria for headache disorders, cranial neuralgias and facial pain. Headache Classification Committee of the International Headache Society. , 1988, Cephalalgia : an international journal of headache.

[6]  C. Carlson,et al.  The Role of Anger and Depression in Recurrent Headache , 2001, Headache.

[7]  B. Rasmussen.  Migraine and tension-type headache in a general population: precipitating factors, female hormones, sleep pattern and relation to lifestyle , 1993, Pain.

[8]  J. Riley,et al.  The role of emotion in pain. , 1999 .

[9]  E. Janke,et al.  Depression increases onset of tension-type headache following laboratory stress , 2004, Pain.

[10]  M. Sandler,et al.  MIGRAINE AND DEPRESSION: BIOLOGICAL ASPECTS , 1992, Clinical neuropharmacology.

[11]  R. Kerns,et al.  Anger expression and chronic pain , 1994, Journal of Behavioral Medicine.

[12]  F. Kowacs,et al.  Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety, and Screening for Mental Disorders in Migrainous Patients , 2003, Cephalalgia : an international journal of headache.

[13]  T. Wise,et al.  Illness Beliefs and Alexithymia in Headache Patients , 1994, Headache.

[14]  Giuseppe Orefice,et al.  Flunarizine in Prophylaxis of Childhood Migraine: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Study , 1988, Cephalalgia : an international journal of headache.

[15]  J. Hatch,et al.  Anger and Hostility in Tension‐Type Headache , 1991, Headache.

[16]  M. Martin,et al.  TENSION HEADACHE, A PSYCHIATRIC STUDY , 1966, Headache.

[17]  M. Ancona,et al.  [Tension, depression, pain. Critical considerations and experimental data regarding idiopathic headache]. , 1991, Minerva Psichiatrica.

[18]  Robert D. Kerns,et al.  Explaining high rates of depression in chronic pain: A diathesis-stress framework. , 1996 .

[19]  H. Wolff.  PERSONALITY FEATURES AND REACTIONS OF SUBJECTS WITH MIGRAINE , 1937 .

[20]  N. Breslau,et al.  Migraine, psychiatric disorders, and suicide attempts: An epidemiologic study of young adults , 1991, Psychiatry Research.

[21]  E. Blanchard,et al.  The role of affect in the etiology of chronic headache. , 1984, Journal of psychosomatic research.

[22]  G. Benedittis,et al.  The role of stressful life events in the onset of chronic primary headache , 1990, Pain.

[23]  J. Money,et al.  TWO CYTOGENETIC SYNDROMES: PSYCHOLOGIC COMPARISONS. I. INTELLIGENCE AND SPECIFIC-FACTOR QUOTIENTS. , 1964, Journal of psychiatric research.

[24]  N. Breslau,et al.  Migraine and Major Depression: A Longitudinal Study , 1994, Headache.

[25]  N. Frijda,et al.  Relations among emotion, appraisal, and emotional action readiness , 1989 .

[26]  J. Sheffield,et al.  Psychosocial stressors predicting headache occurrence: The major role of minor hassles , 1995 .

[27]  J. Passchier,et al.  Migraine and defense mechanisms: psychophysiological relationships in young females. , 1988, Social science & medicine.

[28]  F. Sheftell,et al.  Migraine and Psychiatric Comorbidity: From Theory and Hypotheses to Clinical Application , 2002, Headache.

[29]  K. Merikangas,et al.  Headache syndromes and psychiatric disorders: association and familial transmission. , 1993, Journal of psychiatric research.

[30]  K. Holroyd,et al.  Psychosocial Correlates and Impact of Chronic Tension‐type Headaches , 2000, Headache.

[31]  L. Stovner,et al.  Depression and anxiety disorders associated with headache frequency. The Nord‐Trøndelag Health Study , 2003, European journal of neurology.

[32]  A. Buss,et al.  An inventory for assessing different kinds of hostility. , 1957, Journal of consulting psychology.

[33]  Jerry L. Deffenbacher,et al.  Diagnosis of anger disorders. , 1995 .

[34]  E. Blanchard,et al.  Obsessions and compulsions in three kinds of headache sufferers: analysis of the Maudsley Questionnaire. , 1986, Behaviour research and therapy.

[35]  T. W. Smith,et al.  Social influence, marriage, and the heart: cardiovascular consequences of interpersonal control in husbands and wives. , 1992, Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association.

[36]  A. M. Harvey.  Classification of Chronic Pain—Descriptions of Chronic Pain Syndromes and Definitions of Pain Terms , 1995 .

[37]  S. Cathcart,et al.  Anger, depression, and coping interactions in headache activity and adjustment: a controlled study. , 2000, Journal of psychosomatic research.

[38]  D. Turk,et al.  Sensory and affective components of pain: separation and synthesis. , 1992, Psychological bulletin.

[39]  T. Milburn,et al.  Sensory and affective predictors of overall pain and emotions associated with affective pain. , 1994, The Clinical journal of pain.

[40]  A. Taylor,et al.  Psychologic distress of chronic pain sufferers and their spouses. , 1990, Journal of pain and symptom management.

[41]  E. Waldenlind,et al.  Headache and Mood: A Time-Series Analysis of Self-Ratings , 1984, Cephalalgia : an international journal of headache.

[42]  R. Catchlove,et al.  Pain and anger: Inadequate expression in chronic pain patients. , 1987 .

[43]  S. King,et al.  PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS IN HEADACHE , 1971, Headache.

[44]  K. Hursey,et al.  The Role of Stress in Recurrent Tension Headache , 1986, Headache.

[45]  B. Shulman,et al.  Psychiatric aspects of headache. , 1991, Headache.

[46]  I. Pilowsky,et al.  Pain, anger and illness behaviour. , 1976, Journal of psychosomatic research.

[47]  R. Jensen.  Mechanisms of Tension-Type Headache , 2001, Cephalalgia : an international journal of headache.

[48]  D. Wittrock,et al.  Subjective Stress and Coping in Recurrent Tension‐Type Headache , 1995, Headache.

[49]  A. Holzberg,et al.  The effects of depression and chronic pain on psychosocial and physical functioning. , 1996, The Clinical journal of pain.

[50]  D. Turk,et al.  Psychosocial and Behavioral Characteristics in Chronic Headache Patients: Support for a Continuum and Dual-Diagnostic Approach , 1995, Cephalalgia : an international journal of headache.

[51]  J. Chibnall,et al.  Anger, Depression, and Disability: A Path Analysis of Relationships in a Sample of Chronic Posttraumatic Headache Patients , 1995, Headache.

[52]  N. Frijda,et al.  Relations among emotion, appraisal, and emotional action readiness , 1989 .

[53]  K. Meador,et al.  A Comparison of Tension Headache Sufferers and Nonpain Controls on the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory: An Exploratory Study with Implications for Applied Psychophysiologists , 1997, Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback.

[54]  J. Smedslund.  How Shall the Concept of Anger be Defined? , 1993 .

[55]  H. Merskey,et al.  Classification of chronic pain. Descriptions of chronic pain syndromes and definitions of pain terms. Prepared by the International Association for the Study of Pain, Subcommittee on Taxonomy. , 1994, Pain. Supplement.

[56]  J. Haythornthwaite.  Migraine headaches and psychopathology: future directions. , 1993, Journal of psychiatric research.

[57]  B. Rasmussen.  Migraine and tension-type headache in a general population: psychosocial factors. , 1992, International journal of epidemiology.

[58]  D. Turk,et al.  The scope and significance of anger in the experience of chronic pain , 1995, Pain.