Clinical Patterns and Psychiatric Comorbidity of Headache: A Study from Tertiary Hospital

Background: Headache is the most common medical disorder with a lifetime prevalence of over 90% . Headache is commonly associated with psychiatric syndromes where psychiatrists are often consulted for the evaluation and treatment of people suffering from it. Aim: To study the clinical patterns and psychiatric co-morbidity of the patients suffering from headache attending to department of psychiatry in a general hospital. Methodology: After prior consent, Socio-demographic details and the clinical details of the headache were collected and the diagnosis of the headache was coded using ICHD. Psychiatric diagnosis was made using ICD-10 with the help of consultant. Results: Majority of the subjects (69.1%) presented with primary headache. Tension type headache (49.1%) was the most common type of headache followed by migraine (18.2%). Secondary headaches were seen in 30.9% of individuals. Conclusion: Headache is commonly co-morbid with psychiatric disorders. Early identification of psychiatric disorders helps in proper management and treatment of the individuals with headache.