Headache can be a harbinger of many psychological disorders and inability to cope with stress, and even mentally strong people can suffer from headaches for a long time. Üsküdar University NPISTANBUL Hospital, which has a multidisciplinary approach to headache, opened a Headache Polyclinic. Here, headaches, especially migraine, will be treated.
Üsküdar University NPISTANBUL Hospital Headache Polyclinic Psychiatry Specialist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Barış Metin stated that they carry out the diagnosis and treatment of all kinds of headaches, especially migraine, in the newly opened headache polyclinic.
Drawing attention to the importance of evaluating people who apply for headache by neurology and psychiatry/psychology specialists, Metin emphasized that it is necessary to diagnose the disease causing the headache and to determine the psychological factors accompanying the condition.
Stating that some patients experience headaches due to psychological reasons, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Barış Metin emphasized that it is not possible to treat headache without treating these mental conditions and said, "If deemed necessary, consultations should be made with departments such as neurosurgery, dietician, physiotherapy according to the type of your headache. For example, if your headache is due to a pinched nerve, the neurosurgery team can eliminate the pain with a simple intervention on this nerve. Some of our patients' headaches may be caused by the foods they eat and drink."
Stating that in NPISTANBUL Hospital Headache Polyclinic, they first make a neurological evaluation of the patients, and in case of doubt, they determine the appropriate treatment for the pain as a result of a complete examination by taking MRI, electroencephalography (EEG) and blood tests, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Barış Metin; "In order to understand your pain, we must first understand the person correctly. For this reason, it may also be necessary to fill out questionnaires about pain intensity and psychological status. In our polyclinic, neurology and psychiatry physicians work together with specialist psychologists. Because headache can be a harbinger of many psychological disorders and inability to cope with stress, and even mentally strong people can be worn out and experience various psychological problems when they suffer from headaches for a long time."
Brain stimulation method provides effective treatment
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Barış Metin noted that according to recent studies, electrical stimulation of the head with direct current is an effective treatment and said, "In addition to brain stimulation, studies have shown that serious treatment success has been achieved in headache by teaching biofeedback, that is, methods of controlling one's own body. For this reason, current treatments such as brain stimulation and biofeedback are also used in our outpatient clinic in addition to classical treatments with proven effectiveness."