![\"Prof](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0_Jenny_professional2026.jpg\")
<\/p>\nMany people still face disbelief about its impact in healthcare settings, at work and among friends and family.<\/p>\n
Prof Jenny Johnston, a GP in Belfast and Clinical Professor of Medical Education<\/p>\n
A Belfast GP says people with migraine must be believed as a new report today reveals the condition\u2019s mental health toll.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s according to a new report by The Migraine Trust, Unbelievable: the mental health toll of not being believed about the severity and impact of migraine, which combines new polling of people with migraine with a review of existing research and support service data from the charity.<\/p>\n
Nine in ten people with migraine (90%) say they have not felt believed about the severity or impact of their health <\/a>condition with more than three quarters (77%) saying that disbelief has damaged their mental health<\/a>.<\/p>\n Migraine Awareness Week starts today (September 21) and runs until September 27. The theme of this year\u2019s annual awareness campaign is \u2018Believe Me\u2019.<\/p>\n Migraine affects around one in seven people in the UK and can cause debilitating symptoms, from severe head pain and dizziness to sensory sensitivity, nausea and vomiting.<\/p>\n Yet many people still face disbelief about its impact in healthcare settings, at work and among friends and family.<\/p>\n Prof Jenny Johnston, a GP in Belfast and Clinical Professor of Medical Education, has personal experience from the dual perspective of doctor and patient.<\/p>\n She said: “Aged 24 and working as a junior doctor, I suddenly started to see flashing lights and distorted images. I panicked that I was having a stroke, but when the headache kicked in, I realised what it was and have lived with migraine ever since.<\/p>\n “As a doctor and patient, I am very aware some people may experience challenges with getting the impact of their condition understood. Yet migraine can be very disabling.<\/p>\n “It is increasingly seen as a complex neurological condition involving inflammation \u2013 far more than \u2018just a headache\u2019.<\/p>\n “It is so important for people to seek urgent medical assistance if they have any new symptoms and not just assume they are migraine, as other important issues need to be ruled out too.<\/p>\n “For those struggling with diagnosed migraine, there are now a number of advanced treatments available on the NHS<\/a>. One of these has reduced my own migraines from every day to once a week. Effective treatments are out there, and there is definitely hope for migraine sufferers.”<\/p>\n Nearly a third (31%) of people with migraine said they had not felt believed by a colleague or manager at work and almost one in four (24%) said they had not felt believed by their family or someone they live with. One in five (20%) said they did not feel believed by a healthcare professional.<\/p>\n Worryingly, The Migraine Trust\u2019s helpline data suggests worsening mental health more broadly among people with migraine. Callers mentioning suicidal thoughts rose by 54% in the last six months and almost trebled year-on-year, up 270%.<\/p>\n People reporting isolation and wellbeing struggles also increased, up 15% and 26% respectively. These latest figures add to existing evidence that paints a concerning picture of the mental health impact of migraine.<\/p>\n Rob Music, Chief Executive, The Migraine Trust<\/p>\n Previous research conducted by The Migraine Trust has examined the different ways that the condition can affect mental health and wellbeing.<\/p>\n Rob Music, Chief Executive, The Migraine Trust, said: \u201cA common perception of migraine is that it is \u2018just a headache\u2019 and \u2018it can\u2019t be that bad\u2019, but this couldn\u2019t be further from the truth. This new report sets out the compounding effect that not being believed about migraine has on mental health and paints an incredibly concerning picture.<\/p>\n \u201cMany living with the condition are facing disbelief and downplaying of their symptoms in all parts of their lives, from healthcare settings to workplaces, and even, sadly, among loved ones. The impact of this for those living with migraine can be devastating.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to urgently tackle the stigma associated with migraine. This Migraine Awareness Week, we are calling for greater public understanding of the condition, especially among employers and healthcare professionals.<\/p>\n “This simple act can have a profound impact on the quality of care and support that people with migraine so desperately need.\u201d<\/p>\n To find out how to get involved, visit migrainetrust.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here<\/a> and sign up to our daily newsletter<\/a> here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Many people still face disbelief about its impact in healthcare settings, at work and among friends and family.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":777845,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[102,2960,1906,104,2205,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-777844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-health","tag-healthcare","tag-mental-health","tag-nhs","tag-real-life","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777844","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=777844"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777844\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/777845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=777844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=777844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=777844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Rob](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0_Rob-Music.jpg\")
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