Psychiatric Comorbidity in Headache patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Eastern India

Dr. Krishna Kumar Singh; Dr. Abhay Ranjan; Dr. Niska Sinha

Volume : IX, Issue : VI, June - 2020

Psychiatric Comorbidity in Headache patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Eastern India

Dr. Krishna Kumar Singh, Dr. Abhay Ranjan, Dr. Niska Sinha

Abstract :

Background: Headache is one of the commonest symptoms present in patients attending hospitals and has a high prevalence in community settings as well but very few studies have looked into concurrent psychiatric manifestations. Aim: The current study aims to investigate the socio demographic, clinical profile as well as psychiatric co–morbidity in patients presenting with headache. Methodology: This study was conducted in patients attending the psychiatric outpatient department of Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, Bihar, a tertiary care hospital in Bihar. It was a cross–sectional study using a purposive sampling with a sample size of 120 patients of primary headaches diagnosed using International Headache Society criteria II. MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview Schedule PLUS (MINI PLUS) was used to assess various comorbid psychopathology present. Results: Out of 120 patients consenting for study, 48 (40 %) were males and 72(60%) females with age range 18 years to 60 years (34.8 � 6.4 years). Most common type of headache was Tension–type headache (43%) followed by migraine (36%). Study found significant psychiatric co–morbidity with headache, as high as 51% of which commonest were mixed anxiety–depressive disorders followed by major depressive disorder in about 15 % of these patients. Conclusion: The study highlights high prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in headache patients which needs to be addressed while managing such cases as they might have an impact on treatment outcomes, and headache–related disability.