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People who suffer from migraine are 80% more likely to become depressed
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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People who suffer from migraines are at higher risk of developing depression, a new study by Canadian scientists suggests.
A study published in the journal Headache suggests that the link may go both ways: People with clinical depression have a higher risk of developing migraines.
Migraine is a throbbing headache localized to only one side of the head, often accompanied by nausea and increased sensitivity to light. Sometimes a migraine attack is preceded by visual disturbances known as an aura. Depression is a serious mental disorder and includes symptoms such as sadness, insomnia, fatigue, and emotional impoverishment.
A team of scientists led by Modgill analyzed data from the Canadian National Health Interview Survey of more than 15,000 people between 1994 and 2007.
The study results showed that about 15% of people suffered from depression and about 12% from migraines during the 12 years of the study.
Cases of depression were more common among people who had migraine episodes - 22% of migraine sufferers became depressed, compared with 14.6% of those who did not have migraines.
After controlling for other factors, such as age and gender, the researchers found that people with migraines were 80% more likely to suffer from depression than people without headaches. Also, participants with depression were 40% more likely to suffer from migraines than healthy people.
At the moment, scientists cannot explain the link between depression and migraine, so their next step will focus on exploring in detail the mechanism by which the two diseases are linked.