Substance Use in Pregnant Women Probably Underestimated in Current Reports
At the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association (presented virtually this year), Dr. Kimberly Yonkers from the Center for Wellbeing of Women and Mothers at Yale University presented on the prevalence of substance use among pregnant women. According to data from the most recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), tobacco use was reported by 11.6% of pregnant women. During pregnancy, 9.9% of women reported using alcohol [...]
Weekly Roundup for MAY 16, 2020: Recent Publications in Women’s Mental Health
Every week we review the most recent publications in women’s mental health, covering topics related to premenstrual symptoms, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, use of medications in pregnant and breastfeeding women, perinatal substance use, and menopausal mental health. Several articles in this collection address the challenges researchers face when attempting to study the long-term impact of prenatal antidepressant exposure on neurodevelopmental outcomes in children. Nearly a decade ago, we saw [...]
New Study Estimates the Astonishing Cost of Neglected Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders in US Mothers
A recently published article in the American Journal of Public Health has attributed a substantial financial cost to untreated perinatal mood and anxiety disorders among mothers. The study, conducted by researchers with the think tank and public policy firm Mathematica, found that the cost of untreated perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) for the 2017 birth cohort totalled $14 billion USD, with an average cost of $31,800 per mother-child pair [...]
Long-Term Outcomes of Postpartum Psychosis: What is the Risk of Recurrence?
Postpartum psychosis is the most severe form of postpartum psychiatric illness. It occurs in fewer than one out of every 1000 women after childbirth. Many women who have suffered from postpartum psychosis (PP) wonder about their long term prognosis. Will they have another psychotic episode if they have another child? Will they have another episode if they taper off their medication? Many of these questions are still unanswered, although we [...]
New Research from the CWMH: Vortioxetine Effective for Depression and Menopausal Symptoms
As women transition into the menopause, they experience a constellation of symptoms including vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes and night sweats), sleep disruption, problems with sexual functioning, and cognitive impairment. Women may also be more vulnerable to depression and anxiety during the menopausal transition.  A recent study from the Center for Women’s Mental Health looks at the effectiveness of vortioxetine (sold in the US as Trintellix) for the treatment of [...]
Weekly Roundup for MAY 1, 2020: Recent Publications in Women’s Mental Health
Every week we review the most recent publications in women’s mental health, covering topics related to premenstrual symptoms, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, use of medications in pregnant and breastfeeding women, perinatal substance use, and menopausal mental health. Singal and colleagues use a medical database to look at the early development of children exposed to antidepressants during pregnancy. While the study shows some differences between exposed and unexposed children, the [...]