SYNOPSISThe present study was proposed to explore the association between specific psychopathological factors and the different types of migraine. 15 subjects with classic migraine (7 males and 8 females; avg. age 14.9), 15 subjects with common migraine (5 males and 10 females; avg. age 10.5) and 15 subjects with chronic daily headache (8 males and 7 females; avg. age 11.3) were examined.The psychological study of each of them was performed through individual interviews, psychodynamic testing and parental conferences in order to study the individual's personality in a dynamic fashion.With the same modalities 29 normal subjects were also studied (11 males and 18 females; avg. age 11.3).In the remote clinical histories of migrainous subjects the authors found: psychosomatic disturbances in a high percentage of cases (70% in classic and common migraine; 72% in chronic daily headache; 27% in control subjects: F = 7.3 p< 0.01); the presence of a psychologically important event directly associated with the onset of the disease (55% for chronic daily headache, 31% for classic migraine, 27% for common migraine}.As regards the results of statistical analysis of some of the most objective parameters of the Rorschach the authors found: the number of responses of human movement (M) were significantly lower in headache patients, while popular responses (P%), spaces response (S%) and Dr % responses worn in higher percentage in comparison with control. The headache patients also showed significant deceases of F+% and extended F+% while kinesthetic shock and K-type responses were significantly present.The authors conclude that in migrainous subjects there is a contact with reality which is uninvolved emotionally, and detached, with prevalently rationalized and intellectualized modalities that correspond to the need of blocking the emergence of emotional phantoms. (Headache 28:618-622, 1988) One of the most fascinating problems in the study of migraine or essential headaches in general, concerns the relationships among the clinical forms presented. Certain authors still believe that in reality there exist "many forms of migraine", and that behind each clinical entity hides a diverse and peculiar pathology; its neurochemical origin justifies not only the symptoms, but also its pharmacological sensitivity.' Other authors, for example, Appenzeller and Raskin, 2 and ourselves, 3 maintain that, on the other hand, only one clinical entity is present, which expresses itself in forms differing in type and severity. According to this line of thought, the varied modalities of clinical expression of migraine are distributed along a continuous spectrum which includes complicated migraine, the classic and common forms of migraine, in addition to muscular tension headaches and chronic dally headaches.This topic has found new support from the recent discoveries of Olesen and Lauritzen, 4,5 who have demonstrated that in classic migraine, there are alterations of cerebral blood flow which are not found in common migraine. Also recently documen...