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Self-help group and medication overuse headache: preliminary data

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Abstract

The objective of the study is to investigate the benefits of joining a self-help group for patients with medication overuse headache (MOH). A self-help group is a voluntary gathering of a small number of persons who share a common problem. Little is known about support groups for people with chronic non-malignant pain such as MOH. Eight patients with refractory MOH attended a self-help group twice a month. During the meetings, patients were asked to focus on their headache experiences. Our data showed an increase in resourcefulness in coping with pain and a reduction in cephalalgiophobia. All patients reported general benefits in sharing their headache-related problems. No differences were found for headache frequency or analgesic overuse. To our knowledge, this is the first report on a self-help group for patients with MOH. Joining a self-help group can help patients develop positive attitudes to managing pain.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Bologna, via Ugo Foscolo, 7, 40123, Bologna, Italy

    Elisa Sancisi, Marialuisa Rausa, Stefano Zanigni, Sabina Cevoli, Marianna Nicodemo, Daniela Grimaldi, Pasquale Montagna, Pietro Cortelli & Giulia Pierangeli

  2. Department of Psychology, “Bicocca” University, Milan, Italy

    Andrea Norcini Pala

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  1. Elisa Sancisi
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  2. Marialuisa Rausa
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  3. Stefano Zanigni
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  4. Sabina Cevoli
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  5. Andrea Norcini Pala
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  6. Marianna Nicodemo
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  7. Daniela Grimaldi
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  8. Pasquale Montagna
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  9. Pietro Cortelli
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  10. Giulia Pierangeli
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Correspondence to Elisa Sancisi.

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Sancisi, E., Rausa, M., Zanigni, S. et al. Self-help group and medication overuse headache: preliminary data. Neurol Sci 30, 459–463 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-009-0131-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-009-0131-x

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