Research suggests that women who have suffered child abuse may be predisposed to a potentially debilitating combination of migraine accompanied by depression.

It was found women with migraines and who were diagnosed with major depression were twice as likely as those with migraine alone to report having been sexually abused as a child. Furthermore, if the abuse continued past the age of twelve years, women with migraine were five times more likely to report depression.

Child abuse has a powerful effect on adult health disorders and the effect intensifies when abuse lasts a long time or continues into adulthood.

This research also suggests that sexual abuse may have a greater impact on health than physical abuse and that childhood sexual abuse victims in particular are more likely to be adversely affected.

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