Comorbidity of Major Depression and Migraine — A Canadian Population-Based Study

Abstract

Objective:

To estimate the prevalence of major depressive episodes (MDEs) in patients with migraine and to compare the strength of association with that of other long-term medical conditions.

Methods:

This study used a large-scale probability sample (over 130 000 sample) from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), a cross-sectional survey conducted by Statistics Canada. The CCHS screened for a broad set of medical conditions. Major depression was evaluated with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview Short Form for Major Depression, and the diagnosis of migraine was self-reported. The annual prevalence of major depression was calculated in the general population, in subjects with migraine, and in those with chronic conditions other than migraine.

Results:

The prevalence of major depression in subjects reporting migraine was higher than that in the general population or in subjects with other chronic medical conditions (17.6%, compared with 7.4% and 7.8%, respectively).

Conclusions:

There is a strong association between major depression and migraine. The migraine–MDE association may account for a large fraction of the chronic condition–MDE association. The association between migraines and MDE differs from that of other chronic conditions, as the association persists into older age groups.