Thread by @JillPiggott

2006! #Psychologists "predicted" #anxiety & "catastrophizing" would "predict the presence & intensity of persistent #headache, as well as other non-pain physical symptoms of headache." HA+nonpain=#migraine. If headache has non-pain symptoms, it's #migraine webmd.com/migraines-head…

✔️ FACT "Researchers believe that #migraine is the result of fundamental neurological abnormalities caused by genetic mutations at work in the brain." New models help scientists study "the biological cascade, genetic components & mechanisms of migraine." ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/All-…

Participants in the 2006 study got 1 #anxiety or #castrophizing point per #migraine symptom: light/sound sensitivity; nausea; visual disturbance; speech difficulty; 1-sided weakness, numbness, tingling.

✔️ These are all standard migraine symptoms (& just the START of the fun).

Nearly HALF the participants crossed the threshold for preventive treatment.

✔️ Risk for progression to daily #migraine rises exponentially as number of days monthly rises. Late diagnosis & ineffective treatment are key risks for migraine #disability. americanheadachesociety.org/news/suboptima…

Some of the participants had symptoms of #hemiplegic migraine. The #psychologists didn't say this, but I will:

See a neurologist if (like me) you have stroke-like symptoms: 1-sided paralysis, weakness, numbness & speech difficulties. migrainetrust.org/about-migraine…

The word "migraine" never appears in the study. The #psychologists went as far as putting the word #aura in quotation marks, as if these anxious catastrophizers couldn't possibly be experiencing 1 of the best-known symptoms of the disease.

In 2004, the World Health Organization used objective metrics to determine disease burden. These rankings are used in the annual Global Burden of Disease reports. Severe #migraine ranks in the highest category alongside severe depression, quadriplegia, & terminal-stage cancer.

The #psychology paper I'm discussing was published 2 years AFTER @WHO ranked #migraine in the highest class of disease burden.

There's no excuse for their failure to urge participants to seek medical care for a profoundly disabling progressive disease.

This is true, too: brain imaging shows #anxiety exacerbates #pain. Treating excessive worry or depression can help lighten its burden. #Migraine & pain are both #suicide risks, even without anxiety or depression.

🏳️ If you feel you've reached your limit, reach out.

I direct @headsUPmigraine. We're the happiest bunch of miserable people on fb, & you don't have to have #migraine to join us! If you want to make the world a fairer place for people in pain or you could use a virtual hug, stop by. facebook.com/groups/6382986…

The paper from Cognitive Behavior Therapy (2006) that I've been discussing is available via scholar.google.com. I don't want to link to it & let it loose, but the citation's in the pic below.

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