Are We Paying Enough Attention to the Mental Health Risks of Migraine?

The definition of a migraine attack can seem straightforward: a severe, throbbing headache, often felt on one side of the head. But for those who experience it, migraine is rarely so simple. 
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Migraine is disruptive. It can derail entire days, pulling patients away from their work, their social lives, their families. The pain is debilitating, but it’s not the only thing leaving people behind. Once the migraine subsides, many are left grappling with lingering anxiety, fear or a sense of isolation that can be just as disruptive as the pain itself.
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Despite decades of research and millions of individuals affected, the conversation around migraine often remains focused on the physical symptoms alone. The psychological and emotional impact–often equally significant–can get lost in the shuffle.
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Understanding migraine in its entirety, as both a physical and mental burden, is key to truly supporting those who live with it.

The Facts Speak for Themselves

Research shows that migraine is mentally exhausting and, statistically, is associated with an increased risk to mental health..

• People with migraine are 25 times more likely to feel nervous or anxious daily. ¹
• 55% of people living with migraine say their condition has a significant negative impact on their mental health. ²
• Those with anxiety or depression are significantly more likely to experience migraine. ³
• And the cycle is vicious: chronic migraine contributes to depression and anxiety, while these conditions increase the frequency and severity of migraine attacks.
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To be clear: migraine is not just comorbid with mental illness–it is deeply entangled with it. And while each person’s experience is unique, the patterns are impossible to ignore, especially within key vulnerable groups.

Teenagers: A Generation Growing Up in Pain

Teenagers are already fighting an uphill battle when it comes to mental health. Add migraine to the mix, and that hill becomes a mountain.

• Adolescents with migraine have nearly double the odds of developing anxiety or depression compared to their peers. ⁴  
• And the effects don’t stop at graduation: 88% of adolescents with migraine will go on to develop another psychiatric or pain disorder within ten years. ⁵
  
  

This is more than a teenage phase. It’s a forecast of future suffering if we don’t take it seriously now.

Women: Caught in a Cycle of Pain and Expectations

For women, migraine is more than a health condition–it’s a thief. It steals family moments, energy, career momentum and joy. And it does so while too often being minimized or misunderstood. 

• Hormonal changes linked to menstruation, pregnancy and menopause can all trigger or intensify migraine attacks–and mental health symptoms along with them. ⁶
• Women experience more frequent and severe attacks than men, which contributes to persistent stress and emotional fatigue. ⁶
• The social cost is staggering
  
  • 88% report a negative impact on social life
  • 86% on work
  • 76% on family life ^{7
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In other words, women are paying for the pain in every area of life. And the toll it takes on mental health is compounded by the pressure to “push through” or “just manage it.”

A New Approach is Needed – One That Sees the Whole Person

Migraine can no longer be treated in isolation. There needs to be a seismic shift in the way it is talked about, treated and how patients ought to live with it. That includes rethinking what treatment even looks like. 

Technology that Treats Pain–and the Burden of Side Effects.

There are various treatment options for migraine, including over-the-counter pain relievers, prescription medications, preventive therapies and lifestyle adjustments. While these can provide relief, they often come with trade-offs–side effects like fatigue, dizziness or brain fog that can impact mental well-being. ⁸ For people with comorbidities such as anxiety or depression, or those already managing multiple medications, the risk of drug-drug interactions adds another layer of complexity.

As a result, many patients seek alternatives that don’t add to their mental or physical health. Nerivio, a non-drug, non-invasive remote electrical neuromodulation (REN) wearable*, has emerged as one such option–designed to treat migraine effectively without contributing to these concerns, challenging the entire premise of how migraine has been treated for decades.

At Theranica, we’re not just treating migraine. We’re challenging the entire premise of how migraine has been treated for decades. 
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Migraine deserves more than symptom management. It deserves solutions grounded in empathy, backed by data and built for real life.
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To explore the clinical research behind Nerivio and see how it's helping reshape the standard of care for migraine treatment, visit the clinical trials page.

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*Nerivio has not been evaluated in people with congestive heart failure (CHF), severe cardiac or cerebrovascular disease, for pregnancy, or those under the age of 8. Nerivio should only be applied on the upper arm over dry, healthy skin with normal physical sensation and without any metallic implants or in proximity to cancerous lesions. For full user instructions and safety information, please see the Nerivio User Manual.

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