Recently I came across this report of a new study which links chronic migraines and depression. I have read a number of news reports suggesting that there is a genetic or brain chemistry link between the two maladies. Since I suffer from both, this interests me greatly. Unfortunately, as far as I can tell, the link is very tenuous. In this particular study they compare the rates of depression in women who got 15+ migraines a month to women who get less than 15 migraines a month. Were they really surprised that women who got more than 15 migraines a month were more depressed??? Considering that migraines can last up to 72 hours? At most I get around 4 migraines a month and I feel like it has a major impact on my quality of life. My favorite part is this quote, "This relation between migraine and major depression suggests a common neurobiology." Wouldn't a simpler explanation be that being in severe pain on a regular basis might contribute to major depression? Seriously, 15 migraines a month, who wouldn't be depressed?
Saturday, January 20, 2007
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5 comments:
Gotta love the science of it, eh?
I'm not sure what class would cover basic ideas about how to attribute cause and effect (logic?), but it seems like most scientists don't have to take it. It also bothers me that scientists don't have to take a class on the history/philosophy of science.
Interesting post...I too get migraines and suffer from depression. It was particularly bad this last semester, when I was getting 2-3 migraines per week (and sometimes 4). It was H-E-L-L.
2-3 migraines a week! I'm destroyed when I have one a week! Anxiety and stress sometimes triggers my migraines. If I'm getting a lot of migraines it means something is wrong in my life, I'm not managing my stress well. If I'm not managing well then I most likely will be vulnerable to depression.
In the UK at least, Depression is now the third biggest reason to visit a GP and yet, outside of the medical field, very few people understand what Depression is all about.
You might therefore be interested in a brand new DVD just released by my company called EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT DEPRESSION and presented by UK Consultant Psychiatrist Dr Darryl Britto, who made the DVD especially for Depression patients and those training in the medical field. He discusses the myths about Depression, as well as its causes, symptoms, diagnosis, the various treatment including antidepressants, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, and Social Intervention, and then goes on to discuss prognosis (outcomes of treatment.) MORE INFO AT: www.TimeTrappers.co.uk
Cheers, John Edmonds, CEO, TimeTrappers
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