Weekly Roundup for NOV 11 2016: Recent Publications in Women’s Mental Health
There is an interesting article this week which looks at the long-term impact of prenatal depression on the developing fetus. Following children for 25 years, Plant and colleagues observed that the children exposed to maternal depression during pregnancy had signs of increased inflammation (odds ratio=11.8) at age 25. This finding was independent of child maltreatment and adulthood depression, which are known risk factors for adulthood inflammation. While we focus primarily on [...]
Minimal Effects of Prenatal SSRIs on Motor Development in Exposed Children
When we meet with women to discuss the reproductive safety of antidepressant medications, one of the most challenging and anxiety-provoking aspects of the consultation is the discussion we have regarding the long-term effects of prenatal antidepressant exposure on the child. Because studies assessing the effects of prenatal exposure to medication (or other environmental exposures) take decades to complete and because there are so many factors during pregnancy and after birth which [...]
Postpartum Depression and Its Effects on Children’s IQ
The research of Lynne Murray and Peter Cooper in the 1990s was pivotal in terms of demonstrating the negative effects of postpartum depression on the cognitive development of young children and played an important role in drawing attention to the often overlooked but prevalent problem of postpartum depression. While some studies have documented that, in many cases, these cognitive deficits do not persist over time, others have demonstrated more persistent effects [...]
Weekly Roundup for NOV 4 2016: Recent Publications in Women’s Mental Health
The first article on the list is one that relies on the Swedish medical registers to look neonatal outcomes in infants prenatally exposed to antidepressants. While the study does not generate new things to worry about, it is one of the largest studies in this area and gives us more information on the prevalence of adverse neonatal outcomes in antidepressant-exposed infants. We review this article here. Ruta Nonacs, MD PhD [...]
New Study at CWMH: Depression and Obsessive Compulsive Symptoms During the Postpartum Period
Recent studies have shown that pregnancy and childbirth are frequently associated with the onset of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). While most women do not have the full set of symptoms to meet diagnostic criteria for OCD, many are bothered by obsessive-compulsive symptoms. In their two studies, Miller and colleagues aimed to shed light on postpartum depression and anxiety, with and without obsessions. A prospective cohort study of 461 women was [...]
SAGE-547 for depression: Cause for caution and optimism
The importance of postpartum depression, both in terms of its prevalence and the need for appropriate screening and effective treatments, has become an increasingly important area of focus for clinicians, patients, and policymakers. This derives from more than a decade of data on the significant prevalence of the condition, with roughly 10% of women meeting the criteria for major or minor depression during the first 3-6 months post partum. Over the [...]