Find out about headaches, including what you can do to help ease them, when to get medical advice and what the most common causes are. The International Headache Society classifies more than 150 types of headaches. More broadly, doctors recognize two categories: primary and secondary headaches. A headache may appear as a sharp pain, a throbbing sensation or a dull ache. Headaches can develop gradually or suddenly, and may last from less than an hour to several days. Most headaches can be treated effectively with medication, but certain instances or patterns of headache pain may be indicators or symptoms of a more serious condition. Headaches can be of different types based on your condition. Read more about the types, symptoms, diagnosis & treatments of headache. Headache relief is different for everyone, but you can try compresses, massage, lying down, and sipping tea. Learn how to get rid of severe pain here. Headache is a condition that’s one of the most common causes of pain and a major reason people miss work or school—and visit the doctor. Talk with a doctor if headaches affect your daily life. Headaches vary in how often they happen and how much pain they cause. A headache, also known as cephalalgia, is the symptom of pain in the face, head, or neck. It can occur as a migraine, tension-type headache, or cluster headache. [1][2] There is an increased risk of depression in those with severe headaches. [3] Headaches can occur as a result of many conditions. There are more than 150 types of headaches. They fall into two main categories: primary and secondary headaches. Dysfunction or over-activity of pain-sensitive features in your head cause primary headaches. They’re not a symptom of or caused by an underlying medical condition. Common headache types have different warning signs, timing, and triggers—like tension, cluster, migraine, hemicrania continua, ice pick, and thunderclap headaches—so symptoms guide.