Living with a persistent headache not only affects the quality of life in physical form, it can also negatively influence mental health. In recent years, evidence has been accumulated on the possible relationship between chronic headache – such as the migraine and other types of headache – and emotional discomfort. Some studies had already suggested a link between migraine and the presence of suicidal thoughts or behaviors, but so far, the available data were scarce and did not allow establishing a clear or generalizable conclusion.
The need to better understand this possible relationship led a group of researchers from the University of Aarhus (Denmark) to ask a key question: do people with a diagnosis of headache have a greater risk of suicide attempt or consumed suicide compared to those who do not suffer this disease?
With this question as a starting point, a large -scale study was developed using data from Danish citizens, with 15 years or more from their headache diagnosis, compiled between 1995 and 2020. In total, 119,486 people who had been diagnosed with some type of headache, such as migraine, Tension headacheposttraumatic headache or Headache in clusters. In order to compare the results, for each person with headache, five people were selected without headache. Thus, a second group was created by 597,430 individuals without a history of headache. In this way, researchers could clearly observe if the differences in suicide risk were significant between both groups.
The analysis results, published in the magazine JAMA NeurologyThey confirmed an important difference. At 15 years of the diagnosis, 0.78% of people with some type of headache had tried to commit suicide, compared to 0.33% in the group without headache. Regarding consummate suicide, the difference was also notable: 0.21% compared to 0.15%. These figures reflect a clear increase in risk that cannot be ignored.
-Each type of headache presented different levels of risk. The headache caused by a trauma showed an especially high risk (suicide attempt 2.81%; consummated suicide 1.06%), as well as headache in clusters (suicide attempt 1.78%; consummated suicide 0.56%). For migraine (suicide attempt 0.72%; consummated suicide 0.18%) and tension headache (suicide attempt 0.95%; consummated suicide 0.30%) were also associated with greater risk, although more moderately.
The study also showed that many of the people diagnosed with headache presented other conditions, such as cardiovascular diseases, lung problems, background of cranial trauma, mood disorders or substance consumption. However, even among those who did not have these additional conditions, the relationship between headache and suicide risk was still present.
Researchers insist on the need for adopt an integral approach to the attention to people suffering from chronic headache. The suffering derived from these disorders can go far beyond physical discomfort, and it is essential to also pay attention to emotional and mental health. The early evaluation of possible signs of anguish, as well as the incorporation of psychological support resources from the time of diagnosis, could play a key role in prevention.
FUENTES:
- Adamed TV. (2025, February 10). A study shows the link between headache and suicide disorders. https://www.adamedtv.com/salud-mental/un-estudio-muestra-el-vinculo- entera-los-tters-de-cefalea-y-el-suicidio/
- Elser, H., Farkas, D., Fuglsang, C., Sørensen, S., Sørensen, H. (2025, 3 February). Risk of ATTEMPTED AND COMPLASTED SUICIDE IN PERSONS DIAGNED WITH HEADACHE. JAMA Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2024.4974
