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Headaches: Disorders
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PSYCHOLOGICAL Chronic headaches are often associated with anxiety, depression, or a specific group of mental disorders known as somatoform disorders. These disorders include hypochondriasis and pain disorder; they are characterized by physical symptoms (frequently headache) that suggest that the patient has a general medical condition, but there is no diagnosable disease or disorder that fully accounts for the patient's symptoms. The relationship between psychological and physical factors in headaches is complex in that headaches may be either the cause or result of emotional disturbances, or both. Some patients find that chronic headaches disappear completely after a stressful family- or job-related situation has been resolved.
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Less commonly, headaches result from another disorder. Usually, the disorder is not serious. Disorders that cause headaches are often minor or temporary ones that affect the eyes, nose, throat, sinuses, teeth, jaws, ears, or neck.
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Not all headaches require medical attention. But some types of headache are signals of more serious disorders and call for prompt medical care. These include: sudden, severe headache or sudden headache associated with a stiff neck; h
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Some laboratory tests are useful in identifying headaches caused by infections or by such disorders as anemia or thyroid disease. These tests include a complete blood count (CBC); erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR); and blood serum chemistry profile.
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Like other types of pain, headaches can serve as warning signals of more serious disorders. This is particularly true for headaches caused by inflammation, including those related to meningitis as well as those resulting from diseases of the sinuses, spine, neck, ears, and teeth.
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The biological theory suggests that some people are genetically predisposed to getting headaches. Experts at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in Washington, D.C., hypothesize that these headache sufferers may carry fewer of the natural painkilling proteins, or endorphins, than most people.
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