Headaches are showstoppers. They can slow someone down in their day-to-day life, even rendering a person bedridden. There are over 200 kinds of headaches known to the medical field, each of them with different possible causes and effects. Some head pains are from physical, temporary problems such as exhaustion and hunger while others are from stress. However, according to Mark Foley, D.O., some of these headaches are rooted in mental illnesses.

Foley explains researchers are finding more and more connections between mental illness and headaches. He along with other medical professionals list the following as possible examples of this trend:

Depression — “It is thought that tension-type headaches most commonly accompany depression, although depressed individuals can suffer from migraines or other types of headaches as well,” wrote Foley. Those with severe depression may turn to their physician for treatments, such as tricyclic antidepressants or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

Bipolar disorder — A condition consisting of both depression and mania. Migraines are common for bipolar cases. This kind ache affects one side of the head with a pulsing feeling. Co-existing symptoms can include nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light, sound, or smell. One-third of migraine patients will experience auras, a temporary visual, sensory, linguistic, or motor disturbance that alerts them when a headache is imminent.

Post-traumatic stress disorder — PTSD can affect some individuals after undergoing a traumatic, intense experience. Current research reveals a correlation found between headaches and PTSD.

Anxiety disorders — Some researchers have found a connection between migraines, anxiety disorders and depression. One study in particular found “strong cross-sectional” relation between affective disorders (including anxiety) and migraines.

One fascinating phenomena stems from a study in 2009 in which George Ratcliffe from the University of Manitoba in Canada found migraines could be warnings of future mental disorders. He and his colleagues analyzed data on 4,181 people in the German National Health Interview and Examination Survey. Migraines were diagnosed by a medical professional and trained interviewers evaluated participants for mental problems.

Ratcliffe and his crew found 11 percent of participants had migraines. Patients had many different disorders: major depression, general anxiety disorder, dysthymia, bipolar disorder, panic attacks, panic disorder, substance abuse disorders, agoraphobia and simple phobia.

They considered two theories for why this was happening: One, there is a common factor present that is influencing both conditions, such as low activity of enzymes deactivating certain chemical messages sent to the brain. Two, it is a causal relationship, meaning migraines follows anxiety and anxiety is a precursor to depression.

Frederick Taylor, M.D., director of the Park Nicollet Headache Clinic in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, explains migraine comorbidities – depression, anxiety and other affective disorders – affect 83 percent of migraine patients and 65 percent of their inability to function in life.

Migraines are tough to deal with considering how difficult they are to diagnose, according to Roger S. McIntyre, M.D. “There is no CT scan, X-ray or any kind of blood tests that would indicate you have migraine or not. That being said, the diagnosis of migraine is still very much a clinical diagnosis based on features of the headache syndrome and sitting down in an unhurried way with a clinician who is familiar with the criteria for migraine,” he said.

Severe headaches are a debilitating health problem affecting millions of people each year. Figuring out what is causing this painful condition can be difficult. While McIntyre points out there are tests for ruling out certain medical conditions, there are no real tests for finding causes of the migraines. Instead it can take a mental and physical inventory to decide what is causing this problem.

If it’s a mental problem such as an affective disorder, then reaching out for a mental health professional is the best treatment. A therapist can help the patient better handle the stressors causing and stemming from debilitating health conditions. Finding help is easy — just call 866-593-2339.