"Just a Headache?" You've Never Had a Migraine - Psychology Today
I came across this excellent article on the Psychology Today web site, written by Nancy Darling, PhD. Please take a few minutes to read it. It's well worth it!
Stigmatizing Invisible Illness
Last week, a large news organization did a fantastic piece on how important school nurses are providing health care to children. But listen to what they did.
In the piece, they had a truly adorable kindergartner in the nurse's office. She'd been sent there with her best friend by a teacher because she wasn't participating in gym. The child says her 'head is on fire'. Her stomach hurts. She's exhausted. She has fevers. These issues are chronic and keep coming up.
All of these are classic symptoms of migraines and other headache disorders. But that's not important. The piece asks whether she has a mental health or other 'serious' issue. Because (implicitly), chronic pain from headaches is not a serious issue. Or, and this is even more in the context of the piece, headaches and nausea are seen as problematic if they are signs of a psychological problem rather than problems unto themselves.
If You Think It's "Just A Headache" You're Part of the Problem
Continue reading the article...
Live well,
because a migraine is NOT "just a headache"
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© Teri Robert, 2016.