Abstract text (incl. figure legends and references)

Introduction: Migraine is a highly prevalent and disabling neurological disorder which is commonly linked to a range of psychiatric comorbidities, primarily anxiety and depression. The present study compared the frequency of anxiety and depression disorders in migraine and non-migraine adolescents and evaluated the effect of depression and anxiety on migraine characteristics.

Methods: In this case-control study, 234 adolescents (112 cases with migraine and 122 non-migraine adolescents) aged 13-18 years were evaluated for the presence of anxiety and depression and the influence of these factors on migraine headache. A headache questionnaire as well as the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Children"s Depression Inventory (CDI) were completed to investigate the prevalence of headache, anxiety, and depression.

Results: The average age of participants was 15.77 ± 2 years in the case group and 15.39 ± 1.79 years in the control group. Among them, 19.8% were boys and 80.2% were girls. We found significantly higher levels of mild, moderate, and severe anxiety (38.4%, 23.2% and 23.2%, respectively) in the migraine group compared to the control group (24.2%, 5.8% and 10.0%. respectively). Non-depressive CDI scores were significantly lower in the migraine group (10.1%) than in the control group (29.6%). There was a significant difference between patients with moderate and severe anxiety in terms of attack frequency and duration. In addition, depressed migraineurs recorded higher attack severities and frequencies than migraineurs without depression.

Conclusion: Anxiety and depression are common in adolescents with migraine and can be associated with more burdensome attacks. This makes it necessary to consider anxiety and depression among adolescent migraineurs and provide a therapeutic protocol for this issue.

Keywords: Headache, Migraine, Depression, Anxiety, Adolescents