A new survey has highlighted the negative impact migraine can have on mental health.

The survey by the Migraine Association of Ireland revealed that 38% of people living with migraine feel the condition ‘always’ affects their mental health, while 53% feel it ‘sometimes’ affects their mental health.

When asked how if affects their mental health, respondents used words such as anxious, frustrated, debilitating , misunderstood and despair. Some said the condition makes them feel useless, while others expressed concern about financial worries as a result of having to miss/leave work.

When asked how often they feel misunderstood as a result of migraine, 44% said ‘always’, while 47% said ‘sometimes’. Respondents said the condition is often dismissed as ‘just a headache’ or they are considered lazy, anti-social, dramatic or unreliable.

“People think I can take a pill and it will go away. Once, I was told not to get a migraine at a family funeral, as if I have control over them,” one respondent said.

When asked how often migraine makes them feel lonely, 22% said ’always’ and 50% said ‘sometimes’. Respondents said that the condition can be very isolating, particularly if you need to sit in a room on your own and avoid people and noise.

The results of the survey were released as part of Brain Awareness Week 2022, which runs until March 20. The theme of this year’s event is ‘Together We Are

Stronger: Promoting the Value of Teams, Partnerships and Collaborations in Neurological Care and Research’.

The Migraine Association has also launched a new campaign, ‘You Are Not Alone’, to offer support to those affected.

“Universally and as a nation in our current climate, we can now resonate with feelings of isolation and loneliness due to the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns, restrictions and time lost with loved ones,” the association noted.

It is asking people to help those with migraine to feel less alone by supporting the campaign and sharing #YOUARENOTALONE across social media channels using #YANA and #BrainAwarenessWeek2022.

Some 600,000 people suffer with migraine and headache disorders in Ireland. The complex neurological condition is classified by the World Health Organization as the 7^th most disabling disease in the world (4^th for women).

Some people experience only one or two attacks per year, while others suffer on a weekly basis. An attack can last from 4 to 72 hours.

Individuals can experience migraine without aura, with aura, aura no headache, basilar, hemiplegic, ophthalmoplegic and vestibular. They can also experience chronic migraine, cluster headaches, medication overuse headache and new daily persistent headaches.

For more information on the Migraine Association, click here.