Cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic migraine

Abstract

Aim

Although current standard treatment for migraine headache is medication, high levels of psychological comorbidity has led to migraine influencing by cognitive, emotional and environmental factors, as well as biological. Viewing migraine in a biopsychosocial framework introduces the possible utilisation of psychological treatment options, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of CBT for chronic migraine.

Methodology

Thirty-five participants diagnosed as chronic migraine were recruited from Headache Clinic. According to inclusion criteria 14 participants, underwent bi-weekly lasting 30 minutes CBT sessions for 6 months, were administered Hamilton Anxiety Scale, Hamilton Depression Scale, Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and the Migraine Disability Assessment Scale (MİDAS) before and after CBT.

Findings

Nine of the participants were female and 5 male. Mean age of group was 34.35 ± 8.17. Duration of illness was 13.07 ± 7.18 and 12 of participants had the history of a psychiatry illness whose diagnoses were depression (7), anxiety disorder (4) and post-traumatic stress disorder (1). Nine of the patients had prophylactic migraine treatment. There were statistically significant difference in Hamilton Depression scores between before CBT (29.07 ± 7.74) and after CBT (14.21 ± 7.7); in Hamilton Anxiety scores before CBT (26.8 ± 11.7) and after CBT (11.7 ± 2.6); in VAS scores before CBT (8.07± 0.91) and after CBT (3.71 ± 1.32); in frequency of migraine attacks between before CBT (10.85 ± 3.50 day) and after CBT (4.92 ± 2.70 day) and in MİDAS before CBT (55.5 ± 20.4) and after CBT (20.12 ± 16.6) (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

CBT might reduce the severity of symptoms in migraine patients especially with the comorbidity of psychiatric illness.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.