Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders among migraine patients at King Fahad Specialist Hospital (KFSH) in Qassim, Saudi Arabia.
Methods: This cross-sectional study surveyed 176 migraine patients at KFSH in the Al-Qassim region using the validated Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) to assess depression severity and to evaluate the anxiety symptoms, the general anxiety disorder-7 (GAD-7) was used.
Results: This study investigated the prevalence of anxiety and depression in 176 migraine patients, of which 81.8% were females. Depression as measured by the PHQ9 criteria, was diagnosed in 19.9% of patients, while 30.7% experienced mild anxiety, 18.8% moderate, and 10.2% severe. No significant associations were found between depression and sociodemographic factors, except for a trend towards higher depression in single individuals.
Conclusion: This study highlighted the co-occurrence of depression and anxiety in individuals with migraine, revealing that nearly 20% experience depression and two-thirds suffer from anxiety, emphasizing the necessity for an integrated approach to address physical and mental health among migraine patients. Additional research to validate this finding is required.

Key words: Prevalence, anxiety, depression, migraine, Saudi Arabia