Posted by dougW (208.181.136.85) on August 01, 2000 at 12:57:39:
From the Journal Headache. Although it doesn't mention clusters specifically, I still found this article "depressing".
DougW
Frequent Headache Source of Psychological Distress
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WESTPORT, Jul 26 (Reuters Health) - Depression and anxiety are among the psychological symptoms that accompany frequent headache and headache-associated disability, according to Dr. Dawn A. Marcus, of the Pain Evaluation and Treatment Institute, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
"The presence of psychological comorbidity with headache predicts a longer lifetime duration of headache and a poorer prognosis for headache reduction," she explains in the May issue of Headache. To assess factors associated with such comorbidity, Dr. Marcus examined questionnaires completed by 127 university headache clinic patients.
Subjects who had headaches more than 4 days a week and those with headache-associated activity limitation for 3 or more days a week showed significantly greater depression and anxiety. These symptoms were not directly associated with headache severity. However, compared with typically mild or moderate headache, "severe headache was associated with reductions in role and social functioning."
Frequent headache and frequent headache-associated disability were also linked to reduced quality of life in areas including physical and social functioning, leading Dr. Marcus to conclude that patients with such symptoms "should be further evaluated for the presence of psychological disturbance."
Headache 2000;40:373-376.
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