Work and Disability

You missed work because you had a migraine. Which do you get from your employer and co-workers: support or suspicious looks?

Migraine is most prevalent among working-age adults and can significantly affect their professional lives. However, with proper workplace support, the impact of migraines can be greatly minimized.

People with migraines typically require minimal assistance from their employers, but even a small amount of support can make a crucial difference in helping them manage their condition and perform effectively at work.

Without this necessary support, people with migraine may face serious challenges in the workplace and undue stress because of stigma. To create a healthier, stigma-free and productive workplace, employers and employees need to work together. Implementing solutions will lead to lower absenteeism, reduced functional impairment, and improved employee well-being and productivity.

According to a Canadian survey on 1202 employees

For every 100 employees.

Report having migraine

Are diagnosed by a
healthcare provider

Have migraine more
than twice a week

Migraine is a leading cause of absenteeism (missed work days)

Migraine should be a top priority for employers and disability insurance companies. It is a significant cause of lost productivity in the workplace.

According to a study done in Canada on 28 000 employees on 16 health conditions, migraine came third for cost related to missed days at work after back pain and mood disorders. Migraine was more costly than asthma, diabetes, cancer and arthritis. (Zhang)
Among Canadian employees, 56% had taken sick days, 23% were on short term disability, and 18% were on long term disability.
Migraine Canada found that only 20% of people with migraine (all severity) did not miss days of work. 36% missed between 4 and 16 days per year. 25% reported being disabled.

Migraine is stigmatized and not recognized as a medical cause of disability.

According to an interesting study on stigma related to migraine and epilepsy, people with chronic migraine were more stigmatized than people with epilepsy and episodic migraine. Stigma was directly related to ability to work. (Young)
The “Blue Book” of official diseases leading to disability in the US does not include migraine. The consequence: patients disabled by chronic migraine have to use mental health diseases to claim disability recognition.

The process to obtain disability recognized is difficult and requires a lot of collaboration from treating physicians. Considering the data provided by the World Health Organization, is this fair and reasonable?

Breaking the stigma will start with education and sharing.

How Migraine Canada is Supporting Workers like You

Migraine Canada will developing a Canadian Migraine at Work program in 2025. While we are busy developing a program and resources relevant to Canadians, our colleagues in other countries have some excellent relatable resources.

Migraine at Work https://migraineatwork.org/

Migraine and Headache Australia https://headacheaustralia.org.au/returning-to-work-with-migraine/

Migraine Trust https://migrainetrust.org/live-with-migraine/migraineandwork/managing-migraine-at-work/