From the Research
Yes, adjustment disorder with anxiety can contribute to the development or exacerbation of migraines. The most recent and highest quality study, 1, suggests that anxiety disorders, including adjustment disorder with anxiety, are commonly associated with migraine, and their coexistence poses a concern for diagnosis and management.
Key Points:
- Anxiety and stress can trigger migraine attacks or make existing migraines more frequent and severe through physiological mechanisms such as the activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the release of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline.
- Anxiety often causes muscle tension, particularly in the neck and shoulders, which can contribute to tension-type headaches that may evolve into migraines.
- Sleep disturbances, which commonly occur with adjustment disorder, can further increase migraine susceptibility.
- Managing the anxiety component through cognitive behavioral therapy, stress reduction techniques like mindfulness meditation, and sometimes medications such as SSRIs or benzodiazepines (for short-term use only) may help reduce migraine frequency.
- The study 2 found that the combination of anxiety and depression is associated with an increased headache frequency in migraineurs, highlighting the importance of addressing both conditions simultaneously.
- Another study, 3, investigated the intensity of stress, anxiety, and depression in migraineurs and found that stress and anxiety were higher in the migraine group than in the control group, suggesting that stress management is necessary to improve the daily life of migraineurs.
Recommendations:
- Treating both adjustment disorder with anxiety and migraines simultaneously with approaches that address both the psychological stressors and the migraine symptoms directly may yield the best outcomes.
- Consider cognitive behavioral therapy, stress reduction techniques, and medications such as SSRIs or benzodiazepines (for short-term use only) to manage anxiety and reduce migraine frequency.
- Addressing sleep disturbances and promoting relaxation techniques can also help reduce migraine susceptibility.