AHS 2022 | Anxiety and depressive symptoms in children and adolescents with migraine

Serena Orr, MD, MS, FAHS, The University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, discusses a systematic review and meta-analysis of anxiety and depressive symptoms in children and adolescents with migraine. This study aimed to investigate if anxiety and depressive symptoms and disorders are associated with migraine in children and adolescents; to understand if a child or adolescent exposed to anxiety and depressive symptoms or disorders will change their migraine prognosis, and to see if exposure to anxiety and depressive symptoms or disorders earlier in life is associated with a greater risk of developing migraine later in the pediatric age group. Results showed that children and adolescents with migraine have a higher burden of both anxiety and depressive symptoms or disorders. Concerning the second and third objectives of the study, there were significantly fewer studies addressing this – therefore, these questions remain unanswered. Further work is required in this space. However, patients with migraine should always be screened for anxiety and depressive symptoms or disorders as this would alter the treatment plan if present. Furthermore, this data infers that there is a need to advocate mental health services for the patients that need them. This interview took place during the 2022 American Headache Society (AHS) Annual Scientific Meeting in Denver, CO.