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I just read this article in the DM about the presenter that committed suicide after having a lumbar puncture.
I have long believed that my problems with brain pressure are linked to my mental health problems. Perhaps this is yet another piece of info that proves there could be a link between the two.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...headaches.html
it seems that it is a possibility rose, but she was very depressed and had lost a brother in a accident and reading the article, i get the feeling that there could be more to this than just a lumber procedure. In the N.H.S website it says that headaches are a side affect that can be treated, and if they persist or get worse then the patient should contact the hospital.
I think this case is very sad and that she went down hill after may well be a link.
I think it's really sad, and agree that the pressure could be a factor - but then so could so many things as brain and mental health are still not understood....
A headache is really common after an LP unless you lie still for about 48 hours. Paracetamol generally doesn't touch the pain of a brain pressure headache.
It sounds as if she had headaches before the LP (which is why she had it).
the way this article reads, it was the pain that caused the mental health problems - which is completely understandable and I've been there.
Whether the pressure itself was responsible for her depression, the article doesn't say if she'd struggled before the brain injury so I don't know. But, as Suzi says, the brain, including reasons for any mh illness, is barely understood.
Thats why we should be careful and jump to any links. There could be a myriad of underlying reasons that lead to the suicide attempt and not just the headaches.
I have never had migraines and i cant imagine the pain it causes the sufferer and i cant imagine the pain this lady went through but it must have been horrendous if it was the only factor in her suicide. The watt family seem to have had their fair share of tragedy over the years.
All I know is that when I have an attack of IIH my mood drops and I become more anxious. It could be the symptoms causing that or it could be a change of pressure around the brain causing a change in my thought patterns. As Suzi said, we simply don't know enough about the brain. I also posted an article from New Scientist saying that there could be a link between inflammation of the brain and depression as well. At least that article shows that scientists are actively trying to find out what causes depression, hopefully so that more people can be treated in the future.
I know that since I've had my last back operation, the pain has lessened and my mood has come up again. I'm not sure if I became depressed because of my back pain, or my back pain would have been there anyway. But the long and the short of it is, I'm now seeing a physio for my back and a pdoc for my depression.