Fear, Avoidance, and Disability in Headache Disorders

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this review is to summarize the role of avoidance behavior in headache-related disability and overview relevant clinical implications.

RECENT FINDINGS: Avoidance occupies a central role in contemporary psychological perspectives on headache disorders and other chronic pain conditions. Several cognitive constructs of relevance to headache are influenced and maintained by avoidance behavior. A growing body of literature attests to the notion that avoidance of headache triggers, of stimuli that exacerbate headache, and of broader life domains can negatively affect headache progression, disability/quality of life, and comorbid psychiatric symptoms. Interventions targeting avoidance behavior, such as therapeutic exposure to headache triggers, mindfulness, and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), hold promise for headache disorders but need to be tested in larger trials. Researchers and clinicians are encouraged to attend to functional impairment as a critically important treatment outcome. Comprehensive understanding of headache disorders necessitates attention not merely to diagnostic symptoms and their reduction, but to patterns of avoidance behavior that inadvertently exacerbate headache and contribute to functional impairment.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2020

Erschienen:

2020

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:24

Enthalten in:

Current pain and headache reports - 24(2020), 7 vom: 29. Mai, Seite 33

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Rogers, Daniel G [VerfasserIn]
Protti, Tracy A [VerfasserIn]
Smitherman, Todd A [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

Avoidance
Disability
Exposure
Fear of pain
Headache
Journal Article
Migraine
Review

Anmerkungen:

Date Completed 06.04.2021

Date Revised 06.04.2021

published: Electronic

Citation Status MEDLINE

doi:

10.1007/s11916-020-00865-9

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM310526396