Study Suggests Migraines Can Lead To Depression

By Dr. Brian McDonough

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - If you've ever experienced a migraine headache, you know it can cause a great deal of pain, and certainly the pain can cause a bit of short-term depression when you're experiencing it. But, what about long term? An interesting study suggests an association between migraines headaches and depression.

According to a new report from the Brigham and Women's Hospital, women with a history of migraines are about 40 percent more likely to develop depression than women without a similar history.

The research is based on data from more than 36-thousand participants in the U.S. women's health study.  They did not have depression and had answered questions about their migraine history.

The women 45 and older were categorized either as having active migraine with aura that's a visual disturbance or a strange sense of smell or active migraine without aura. It did not make a difference whether they had an aura or not.

The association is quite interesting because it makes us take a look at some sort of relationship.