It is not just a headache: it is hypersensitivity to sounds, smells, light, movements, in addition to dizziness and nausea. Brutal and invisible, migraines overwhelm one in four workers, who often prefers to suffer in silence – and sometimes even resign.
“I had heartache to vomit, I was unable to tolerate any stimulus around me and I had great difficulties in concentration. I was completely invaded by pain. »»
Marie-France Lemire had to leave her teaching position in primary school in Montreal because of her condition: she has repeated migraines-and it is not yesterday. His first crises date back to her 4e year of primary, she was 9 years old.
“When I do one, it’s so intense that I go into mode” Talk to me, don’t touch me, I just want to be alone in the dark in silence “, says the forties who lives in the Montreal shore. It is as if life around me is too irritating. »»
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, LA PRESSE
Marie-France Lemire
Anxiety and depression are watching people who make chronic migraines. 12 years ago, Marie-France Lemire had to face the facts, she could no longer teach.
“In my case, it is permanent disability,” she drops.
Stigma
Alex Béchard-Gauthier also lives with terrible migraines. The 36 -year -old web developer is fortunate to be 100 % teleworking: this helps him spend through his days even if he feels that his colleagues do not always understand what afflicts him.
“I am said to go take a walk, put myself in yoga, cut the gluten,” says the Lavallois, laughing, “but that has nothing to do!” There are a lot of prejudices surrounding people who make migraines. »»
According to Heather Pim, neurologist, director of the Cephale Clinic at the University of Montreal hospital center and president of Migraine Québec, there is a great stigma around people who make migraines. The condition is little or badly understood-moreover, it is deemed harsh, she says.
“It is seen as a mental illness because it is an invisible disease. People who make migraines feel guilty of being less functional, feeling less efficient, offering a less good yield, so they hide their symptoms. Not only is it sub-diagnosed, but there is an ignorance around migraine, ”explains the Dre Pim.
More women
Classified as a neurological disease, migraine affects more than 1 million Quebecers, according to a study carried out in April 2024 by Migraine Canada1. And while 25 % of workers say they suffer from migraines, only half of them have received a medical diagnosis.
“Women are more affected,” emphasizes the Dre Pim, they would represent between two thirds and three quarters of people who make migraines. What is the most striking is how young migraines affect the population that is young, mainly 30-50 year olds. We therefore speak of people who are active, who contribute to society. »»
Migraine is not “having any headache”, specifies the doctor, also a deputy professor of neurology at the University of Montreal. This is not resolved “by drinking more water”.
“Sensory hypersensitivity can lead to mental fog, to concentration difficulties, to a speech in slow motion, to insomnia. And these symptoms can last between four hours and three days. »»
Arrangements at work
Ingcurable, but treatable, migraine can be controlled by certain treatments – and its effects can also be led by certain accommodation in the workplace.
“Neon neon lights and open areas have an impact on everyone, but even more on us,” notes Marie-France Lemire, speaking of people who, like her, do migraines regularly.
The posture at the workplace, the perfumes, the lights of the screens, the noise around are all elements which can influence the migraine condition. Solutions exist, such as putting antiblight shells available to affected employees, establishing a fragrance-free policy, installing blue anti-light filters and allowing telework.
“With a little opening, employers can effectively take care of workers affected by migraines,” says the Dre Heather Pim, and these, instead of being loss of esteem and withdrawing from work, will be able to do their job and do it well. »»
Note that according to the study by Migraine Canada, people who make migraines are absent from work of 4 to 16 days a year, which would cost annually between 15,000 and 25,000 per person.
1. Consult the study Work and Disability Migraine Canada (in English)
