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Headaches and Suicide
The risk of a suicide attempt was 2 times greater among those with headache, across types including tension type headache, migraine, trigeminal autonomic cephalalgia, and posttraumatic headache.
Studies have indicated that migraine and cluster headaches appear to be associated with increased risk for attempted and completed suicides. A new study sought to determine if this apparent association also holds true for other common headache conditions. The population-based study utilized several Danish patient registries which provided data on hospitalizations, emergency department visits, outpatient specialist visits, diagnoses, and suicide attempts and completed suicides. The headache diagnoses examined were:
- Migraine
- Tension type headache (TTH)
- Trigeminal autonomic cephalalgia (TAC) (includes cluster headache)
- Posttraumatic headache disorder (PTT)
Source: Elser H, Farkas DK, Fuglsang CH, et al. Risk of attempted and completed suicide in persons diagnosed with headache. JAMA Neurol. Published online February 3, 2025. doi:20:2002/jamaneurol.2024.4974.
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