For some people with anxiety disorders, headache pain, sometimes severe, may be all too familiar.
Headaches can be a common symptom — and sometimes a good indicator — of an anxiety disorder, particularly generalized anxiety disorder [1], or GAD. And chronic co-occurring headaches can make functioning even more difficult for someone with an anxiety disorder.
But you can manage anxiety disorders and such pain to lead a full and productive life.
A migraine is severe pain felt on one or both sides of the head. The pain normally occurs around the temples or behind one eye or ear.
A migraine may also cause nausea and vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound. The pain can last from a few hours to several days. A classic migraine usually causes an aura, or visual symptoms such as flashing lights 10 to 30 minutes before an attack or losing vision. A common migraine may cause nausea, vomiting, or other symptoms, but no aura.
Researchers have suggested that a common predisposition to anxiety disorders, depression, and migraines may exist. Migraines and chronic daily headaches are common in people who suffer from anxiety disorders.
Migraine headaches can precede the onset of mental disorders, according to a 2009 study. Researchers found that 11 percent of participants in the study had migraines and a variety of dis