An image of a logo

24 Hour Crisis Stabilization

Depression and Migraines: How Are These Conditions Connected?

depression and migraines

Living with depression or migraines leaves you feeling emotionally and physically drained. You might feel like others don’t fully understand what you are going through, and the toll either of these conditions has on their own can create intense feelings of exhaustion and isolation. But they are both more common than you might think.

In 2021, 1 in every 5 Delawareans were diagnosed with a depressive disorder. Meanwhile, migraines impact the lives of approximately 1 in every 6 Americans. Both conditions significantly impact the lives of those with them on their own. They also have a significant overlap in symptoms and exist simultaneously.

If you have both of these conditions, it can feel like an impossible situation that only results in symptoms for both getting unbearable, ruining your ability to find the will to function or get out of bed. At SUN Behavioral Health Delaware, we want you to know that you are not alone and that it is possible to find healing from the pain you have. Today, we are going to discuss the link between depression and migraines and how treatment leads to a healthier outcome for the future.

Understanding What Depression Is

The mental health condition depression plays a significant role in a person’s life to the point that their ability to function, regulate their emotions, and control their thoughts are affected. Several symptoms come with this disorder. Some are psychological, like intense feelings of sadness, loss of interest in enjoyable things, and thoughts of suicide. Others are physical, like changes in appetite, fatigue, aches and pains, and digestive concerns. One of the most common physical symptoms of depression is headaches.

What Is a Migraine? Is It Different From a Normal Headache?

Migraines are a specific type of headache that is more than just intense pain somewhere in the head. While these can look different for everyone, there are some common similarities. For example, these headaches don’t leave quickly or with simple treatments. They come with symptoms like sensitivity to light, smells, and noise, nausea or vomiting, intense fatigue, or mood changes. Typically, a headache described as a migraine is on 1 side of the head and ranges from moderate to severe on the pain scale. These occur for various reasons, such as a stressful week, a menstrual period, lack of sleep, or a mental health condition like depression.

Exploring the Relationship Between Migraines and Depression: How Are They Connected?

According to several reports, there is about a 40-50% association between migraines and a major depressive disorder. Some of those studies have shown that depression might come with a migraine, while others have shown that migraines could predict depression. One particular report showed that people who had migraines were 2.49 times more likely to have suicidal ideation than someone who didn’t.

At this time, the exact reason they are connected is not known. While some researchers might believe that it is a genetic link due to migraines and depression both being known to run in families, others acknowledge that there might be environmental or biochemical components as well. It could be a combination of any and may vary from person to person.

understanding what depression is

How Migraines Might Worsen Depression Symptoms

If someone already has depression symptoms, developing a migraine might make them worse. With depression, a common symptom is already not wanting to participate in enjoyable activities. However, when someone has a migraine, the pain and sensitivities might make them even less likely to do things that will make them feel better.

It can also create a more profound isolation from loved ones. Connection is essential to healing from depression and reducing some of the impact the disorder has. Suppose the pain of a migraine is too much. In that case, people will often isolate themselves in a dark room away from others to reduce sensitivities. This leads to loneliness and decreased socialization with those they care about, which might increase depression symptoms.

Being in areas of light is necessary for decreasing depression symptoms as it can help regulate alertness, body temperature, and circadian rhythms. For someone with a migraine, light can mean worsening symptoms. For those with both, this feels like living in a seemingly no-win situation.

Migraines, like depression, also lead to a reduced quality of life. People who experience them are often stressed about when their next one will occur or find that they cannot get anything done when one happens. This combination of thoughts and emotions may lead to someone who had depression finding that before, during, or after a migraine, they have worsening mental health symptoms.

Depression also results in neurotransmitter imbalances. Chemicals like serotonin and dopamine play a role in how people perceive pain. Someone who has depression will have an imbalance in the levels of these, which will result in them being more sensitive to pain. When a migraine happens, this makes them more unbearable than it would be if the person did not have depression. Also, people with depression tend to have higher levels of cortisol, which can be a migraine trigger.

Emotional Pain to Physical Pain: How Depression Amplifies Migraines

Like how migraines can make depression symptoms worse, depression might make migraines worse. A common symptom of depression is headaches and chronic pain. For someone who gets migraines, this might mean that their symptoms are worse when a migraine occurs.

Depression also impacts a person’s ability to sleep. If someone is not sleeping much because of this condition, it results in sleep deprivation, which may lead to a headache. The more someone lacks sleep, the more painful these will be.

This mental health condition also makes it challenging to keep up with everyday tasks and basic human necessities. Things like exercising, eating, having the energy to get out of bed, and remembering to drink enough fluids throughout the day are all harder when a person has depression. Dehydration is a potential cause of migraines. If someone isn’t drinking enough water to prevent one from happening because their depression makes them lack the energy to do so, their migraine might feel worse. 

People with depression experience a lot of stress and often a decreased effort to accomplish things they enjoy doing or that help keep that stress in check. When someone has high levels of stress, they are more likely to develop a migraine.

Living With Migraines and Depression: What Treatment Looks Like

Someone with both chronic migraines and a depression disorder needs both to be treated together. As mentioned above, these two conditions can make the others’ symptoms worse. In turn, it impedes your ability to find a successful recovery of either. When they are treated together, there is a less likely chance they will result in complications over time.

Most commonly, migraines and depression are treated with medications. For some people, these might be different medications to treat specific symptoms of each condition. The most common medical treatment for frequent migraines are triptans, which can be prescribed alongside antidepressants. However, antidepressants, like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), have been known to be prescribed by doctors to treat both depression and migraines. The feeling of relief won’t be instant, and you might not need to be on them forever, but they are a helpful tool in living a higher quality life.

Also, therapy can be used to treat depression and migraines. While most people think about treatment as only being able to treat mental health conditions like depression, it is also helpful for some people to learn how they can prevent migraines. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been known to help many people recover from depression because it allows people to identify and change negative thoughts to healthier ones. It is also helpful in assisting people to recognize potential migraine triggers and develop healthy coping skills to decrease stress levels. With reduced stress levels, there is a lower chance that you will experience a migraine episode.

what is a migraine is it different from a normal headache

Finding Depression Treatment that Works for You in Georgetown, DE

Having both migraines and depression \ can feel tiring and overwhelming. You might never know when one of these conditions will significantly impact your day, and both might contribute to a decreased quality of life. Depression treatment helps many people who have both migraines and depression find a sense of relief and clarity when it comes to their lives.

SUN Behavioral Health Delaware solves unmet needs for adults and adolescents in Georgetown. Through our no-cost care assessments, you will work with one of our specialists to determine what treatment plan will work best for your needs when it comes to treating depression, which lowers the chance of migraines developing over time. For more information about our depression treatment, call us at 302-604-5600 today. 

Get Help Today!

302-604-5600
  • SUN Delaware
  • SUN Delaware
  • SUN Delaware

SUN Behavioral Delaware

21655 Biden Ave
Georgetown, DE, 19947

Hours of Operation:

Open 24 hours

google logoSUN DelawareSUN Delaware
3.7 Stars - Based on 71 User Reviews
joint commission

Other Locations

Contact Info