Our study, taken together with the Dutch study, shows that people with migraines have a reduced quality of life. The studies appear in the journal Neurology . The far-reaching impact of migraines may not be news to the 28 million sufferers in the United States, but it is the first time researchers have looked at the complete picture, Lipton says. Both studies questioned the general public and included migraine sufferers who had not yet been seen by a doctor. Lipton found that 47 percent of his study's 389 migraine sufferers experienced depression, compared to only 17 percent of people who never had migraines.
Previous research shows that migraine and depression are linked, but they have independent causes.
People with depression are prone to pain, but when both occur, it's important to recognize and treat them separately. They tells us that migraine is really devastating, and that the conditions associated with migraine are devastating. The Dutch study also compared the migraine patients with patients suffering from asthma and chronic musculoskeletal pain. Those with migraines consistently rated their quality of life lower in the mental and social areas, but higher in the physical aspects. Almost 6,000 people were part of the Dutch study.