A history of maternal depression and migraine was significantly more common and proportionately higher in children with abdominal migraine and recurrent abdominal pain in a study from Birmingham, England. At a structured interview with a printed recording sheet, 27% of mothers gave a lifetime history of migraine. Mothers of children in the headache group gave a history of migraine 1.5 times more often than in controls. A total of 21% of mothers gave a lifetime history of depression. Significantly more mothers had a history of depression in the headache, migraine, recurrent abdominal pain and abdominal migraine groups than in controls. [1]
COMMENT. This study emphasizes the need to assess the mother when treating children with headache or recurrent abdominal pain.
In a study of 28 patients aged between 13 - 18 years with chronic daily headache seen at The Germantown Hospital, Philadelphia, PA, 86% were diagnosed with depression. Antidepressant medication, biofeedback and psychotherapy were recommended. [2]
Dr. J.N. Blau of the National Hospitals for Nervous Diseases, Queen Square, London comments that “in migraine the plethora of theories provoke profound intellectual dissatisfaction” and that migraine may be a protective phenomenon. [3]