Headache Types & Treatment in Mumbai | Dr. Pavan Sonar

Headaches are among the most common health complaints in Mumbai — affecting millions of residents, particularly in the working-age population. While most headaches are benign, a significant proportion of chronic headache presentations have psychiatric and psychological components that are inadequately addressed by purely physical medical management. Dr. Pavan Sonar, a psychiatrist in Mumbai, explains the types of headaches with psychiatric relevance and how integrated treatment can provide lasting relief.

Types of Headaches Relevant to Psychiatric Practice

Tension-Type Headache

The most common headache type — characterised by a pressing, squeezing, non-throbbing pain of mild-to-moderate intensity, typically bilateral (both sides of the head). Tension headaches are directly triggered and maintained by psychological stress, anxiety, and depression. In Mumbai’s high-stress environment, chronic tension headaches are extremely prevalent. When headaches are frequent (more than 15 days per month) or chronic (more than 3 months), assessment for underlying anxiety or depression — which are both causing and maintaining the headaches — is essential. Treating the underlying psychiatric condition often resolves chronic tension headaches when physical treatments alone have failed.

Migraine and Psychiatric Comorbidity

Migraine has a well-established bidirectional relationship with depression and anxiety — people with migraine are 2–4 times more likely to have depression and anxiety disorders than the general population, and vice versa. These conditions share underlying neurobiological pathways involving serotonin and other neurotransmitters. Comprehensive migraine management in patients with significant psychiatric comorbidity requires addressing both conditions. Certain antidepressants (notably amitriptyline) are first-line migraine preventive treatments, offering dual benefit.

Medication Overuse Headache

Medication overuse headache (MOH) — also called rebound headache — develops when pain medications are used too frequently. Many Mumbai patients with chronic headache and anxiety are caught in a cycle where: anxiety triggers tension headache → painkiller use provides relief → anxiety worsens with each rebound → headache frequency increases → painkiller use escalates. Breaking this cycle requires addressing the anxiety component, not just the headache.

Psychiatric Assessment for Chronic Headache in Mumbai

Patients presenting to Dr. Sonar’s Mumbai clinic with chronic headaches typically undergo: assessment for anxiety and depression; sleep quality evaluation (poor sleep is a major headache trigger); stress and lifestyle assessment; and identification of psychological maintaining factors. Treatment targets both the psychiatric conditions and the headache behaviour patterns — resulting in improvements that pure neurological management has not achieved. For anxiety treatment information, visit the anxiety treatment page. Full services at the services page.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I worry that my headache is something serious?

Headaches requiring urgent investigation include: sudden, severe “thunderclap” headaches; headaches with fever, stiff neck, or rash; headaches with neurological symptoms (vision changes, weakness, confusion); headaches waking you from sleep; or new headaches in people over 50. These require neurological investigation first. Most chronic daily headaches in younger adults in Mumbai, however, are benign and have significant psychological components amenable to psychiatric intervention.

Book a Consultation in Mumbai

Dr. Pavan Sonar — MBBS, DNB, DPM — provides integrated psychiatric assessment for patients with chronic headache and co-occurring mental health conditions in Mumbai. Outlook Best Doctors Award. Call +91 85918 40141.