Conference Coverage
A study in the European Journal of Pain found that migraine was associated with low social support. In addition to poor coping skills, lack of social support can be both a stressor and a consequence of severe headache. A patient’s social support may decrease if migraine causes him or her to miss events and avoid making social commitments. Furthermore, data indicate that people with headache are significantly less satisfied with the support available to them. Compared with controls, they scored lower in all types of functional support.
Dr. Buse suggested that physicians can help patients modify their response to stressors through behavioral therapies as well as by assessing and improving self-efficacy, enhancing social support, and improving the sense of control. Physicians can improve patients’ psychologic well-being by modifying dysfunctional coping styles, negative attributions, and catastrophizing.
Future Directions in Stress and Migraine Research
“Future directions in migraine treatment may include disseminating behavioral treatments at low cost to large numbers of people via the Internet, smartphones, apps, and wearable technology,” said Dr. Buse. “Technology can be used to collect data related to migraine attacks and deliver messages, including healthy reminders, coping strategies, and relaxtion exercises, in real time. There is an expanding body of literature testing the efficacy of delivering behavioral treatments using these modalties. The possibilites and potential benefits for our patients are very exciting.”
—Erica Robinson