Depression in chronic migraine: Severity and clinical features

Abstract

Introduction: Chronic migraine (CM) is a common medical condition affecting 2.4% of the general population. Depression is one of the most frequent comorbid disorders in CM. Method: Seventy patients diagnosed with chronic migraine were studied. All patients evaluated filled out the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Depression severity was divided into none or minimal depression, mild, moderate, and severe. Results: BDI ranged from 4 to 55, mean 21 ± 10.7. Moderate or severe depression, were present in 58.7% of the patients. Some degree of depression appeared in 85.8% of patients. The BDI scores correlated with pain intensity (p = 0.02). Severe depression was more frequent in patients with comorbid fibromyalgia and in patients reporting fatigue. Conclusion: The BDI is an easy tool to access depression in CM patients. Suicide risk assessment is needed in CM patients. Patients with fibromyalgia and fatigue are at even higher risk for severe depression.