NCT06797076 | NOT YET RECRUITING | Migraine

Detailed Description:

Headaches are highly prevalent among Canadians and many people visit their primary care provider due to headache symptoms (1,2). Headaches can be classified based on frequency (acute, episodic, chronic) and symptom presentation (migraine, tension-type, cluster, etc.). Headaches are of concern to many people as the World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that in 2016, more than half of people around the world between 16-65 years old reported having headaches (3). Up to 70% of individuals experience tension headaches (3), and 8.3% of Canadians are affected by migraine headaches (4). Headache symptoms can last a few hours to several days and are debilitating as they cause significant pain and distress (4,5). Headaches can also negatively impact one's life as they cause problems related to work performance and/or school activities (i.e., not being able to complete an assignment or project on time) (6,7). People who seek medical attention from their primary care provider for their headache pain often have difficulty receiving adequate treatment (8, 9, 10, 11). One of the barriers to the optimal treatment of headaches is that the availability of non-pharmacological, psychosocial treatments is very limited. Although medications can be an important part of effective headache management, the use of non-pharmacological treatments is widely recommended (12, 13, 14). The National Canadian Migraine Strategy has recommended self-management patient interventions and patient education to learn skills to manage their headache symptoms in partnership with their healthcare providers (5). They have also advocated for the use of non-pharmacological therapies like stress management, skills to avoid triggers causing headaches, relaxation therapies, and self-monitoring for the management of migraine headaches as part of their chronic disease management program for migraine. Although many medications can reduce pain due to headaches or migraine, their frequent use has associated side effects (15), and the prolonged use or overuse of medications can also cause headaches (16). Thus, an overreliance on pharmacological treatments and a lack of attention to lifestyle and psychosocial factors contributing to headache symptoms can create sub-optimal outcomes for patients. Therefore, our goal is to develop a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for headache diseases (CBT-HA) program that can be delivered through an internet-connected phone, tablet, or computer and provide effective treatment to a wide range of patients with migraine. Given that primary care physicians are the first source of assistance for individuals facing problems with migraine, internet-based CBT-HA has the potential to be a useful tool for primary care physicians to recommend to their patients.