Weekly Roundup for OCTOBER 26, 2018: Recent Publications in Women’s Mental Health
The first three articles on this week’s list address the long-term effects of exposure to maternal depression and anxiety on the child. While many women feel significant pressure to avoid taking psychotropic medications during pregnancy, these studies clearly find that untreated illness may also carry risks for the child. Also this week, we have a study from Wisner and colleagues which suggests that in a group of women with bipolar disorder, [...]
In Brief: Asthma Doubles Risk of Postpartum Depression
In a recent study from Quebec, researchers compared the risk of postpartum depression in more than 35,000 pregnant women with asthma and almost 200,000 women without asthma. They found that rates of postpartum depressive symptoms were about twice as likely among women with asthma. But why? They found that mothers with asthma were more likely to have worse outcomes, including preterm birth, cesarean delivery, low birth weight, poor fetal growth, and [...]
Is Acupuncture Effective for Postpartum Depression?
In a recent meta-analysis, researchers screened electronic databases and analyzed data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture for the treatment of postpartum depression (PPD). Primary outcomes included improvement in depressive symptoms, as by scores on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD) or the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). The authors identified a total of nine trials involving 653 women. According to this meta-analysis, women receiving acupuncture had significantly [...]
In Brief: More Data on Pregabalin (Lyrica) and Pregnancy
Pregabalin (marketed in the US as Lyrica) is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of epilepsy, fibromyalgia, and neuropathic pain. It is also used off-label to treat psychiatric disorders, most commonly generalized anxiety disorder. While it is not used as frequently as other anti-epileptic drugs, we do occasionally see women taking pregabalin who are pregnant or planning to conceive. In the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, Dr. [...]
New Study at CWMH: Genetics of Postpartum Psychosis – Massachusetts General Hospital Postpartum Psychosis Project (MGHP3)
Postpartum psychosis (PPP) is a serious condition, occurring in 1 to 2 per 1000 women in the weeks after delivery and associated with extreme delirium-like behavior, delusions, hallucinations, and an increased risk of suicide and infanticide.[1] While there appears to be a strong link between postpartum psychosis and bipolar disorder,[2] it is estimated that about half of women who present with postpartum psychosis have no psychiatric history prior to delivery, making [...]
More Data on Marijuana and Breastfeeding
In our clinic, we are seeing more and more women of reproductive age using marijuana in various forms. According to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, there has been a significant increase in the use of marijuana among women of childbearing age over the last decade. Marijuana use was the highest in women aged 18 to 25 years, with past-month prevalence reaching 7.47% in 2014. Among pregnant [...]