The onset of facial pain. A psychological study

Abstract

13, mostly male, cases of cluster headache and 15, mostly female, cases of atypical facial neuralgia were submitted to the psychosomatic anamnestic interview of Seguin. A very high proportion of patients in both groups had suffered from early deprivation of physical gratification. Pain itself started initially after a sequence of masked depression followed by dental or facial intervention in most atypical facial neuralgias, and by emotional stress in half of the patients with cluster headaches. Pain afterwards still hid and expressed a current underlying depression in both groups.