Migraine headache and mood disorders: a descriptive study in an outpatient psychiatric population.
BACKGROUND
Information is sparse concerning migraine distribution in mood disorder subjects based mainly on psychiatric disorder.


METHODS
In a sample of 283 normothymic mood disorder outpatients on maintenance treatment with serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or lithium, we investigated migraine distribution and clinical variables possibly related to comorbidity risk between mood disorder and migraine.


RESULTS
Some 26.8% of the sample met criteria for migraine with migraine age of onset earlier than mood disorder age of onset; familiarity for mood disorder and migraine was strictly related to comorbidity risk in probands. Long-term treatment with lithium salts subjectively improved migraine outcome.


CONCLUSIONS
These results could support the bidirectional association between the two clinical forms, considering the familial and pharmacological patterns.
Istituto Scientifico H. San Raffaele, Department of Neuropsychiatric Sciences, School of Medicine, Università Vita e Salute, Via Stamira d'Ancona 20, 20127 Milan, Italy. franchini.linda@hsr.it
Linda
L
Franchini
Fanny
F
Bongiorno
Danilo
D
Dotoli
Innocenzo
I
Rainero
Lorenzo
L
Pinessi
Enrico
E
Smeraldi
D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D018692:Antimanic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D016651:Lithium Carbonate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D010045:Outpatients; D010375:Pedigree; D012307:Risk Factors; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use
D018692:Antimanic Agents; D016651:Lithium Carbonate; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors