The Everything Health Guide to Migraines by Paula Ford-Martin

Author:Paula Ford-Martin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: epub, ebook
Publisher: Adams Media
Published: 2008-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Social Implications

Despite increased education and awareness of the condition, there is still a stigma associated with migraine. Women with migraine in particular may encounter stereotypes of the condition as “just a headache,” “all in their head,” or signs of hypochondria. It is well documented that female migraineurs experience a higher level of disability than their male counterparts, reporting longer and more severe head pain, spending more time in bed recovering, and experiencing more lost days of work and school.

In some cases, women have grown up with these false conceptions of migraine and may not seek diagnosis or appropriate care. Or, those people a woman works and socializes with and encounters throughout her day may have these preconceptions, impacting her selfesteem and quality of life. Even some health care providers may not be appropriately educated about migraines and therefore may either consciously or unconsciously perpetuate these unfounded stereotypes.

The media has not helped the situation. A 2006 review of U.S. newspaper coverage of migraine published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings found that stories on migraine and epilepsy contained the highest prevalence of stigmatizing language (defined as wording that portrays the patient as socially undesirable or reduced in physical worth). Twenty-nine percent of migraine stories met this criteria.

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