December 2015 Roundup: Recent Publications in Reproductive Psychiatry
Last month, the first article listed below focused on the risk of autism in children exposed to antidepressants during pregnancy. It generated a great deal of media buzz, and probably a fair amount of unnecessary anxiety among women and their care providers. The media seemed to miss out on the second article listed below, which was an important study because it attempted to parse out the risks associated with antidepressant exposure [...]
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for the Prevention of Postpartum Depression
As a field we have focused primarily on the detection of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders; however, one should be aware of the growing body of literature that suggests that certain interventions may actually decrease a woman’s vulnerability to postpartum depression (PPD).  Postpartum depression affects about 15% of women after delivery. In women with histories of major depressive disorder or in those who have experienced an episode of PPD after a [...]
Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy and Mood in First-Time Mothers
Although new mothers describe breastfeeding as a meaningful and fulfilling aspect of caring for their infants, breastfeeding is also a common source of stress and anxiety. Breastfeeding self-efficacy or BSE refers to a mother’s confidence in her ability to breastfeed her infant. While previous studies have focused on the relationship between postpartum mood and breastfeeding, little is known about how breastfeeding self-efficacy may affect mood. A recent study prospectively evaluated breastfeeding [...]
Happy New Year: And a Look Back at 2015
2015 was a great year for the Center for Women's Mental Health. We have been growing by leaps and bounds, and over the last year our readership has nearly doubled. We are grateful to our readers who continue to help us bring the material from our website to the women who need reliable and up-to-date information in order to make thoughtful and informed decisions regarding their care. And 2015 was another [...]
Preeclampsia Increases the Risk of Postpartum Psychiatric Illness
Medical conditions with a postpartum flare pattern – including postpartum thyroiditis, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis – have an etiology related to immune system dysregulation. Earlier this year, we reviewed an article suggesting that some cases of postpartum psychosis may be immune-mediated. It turns out that preeclampsia is also immune-mediated and, like postpartum psychosis, is strongly linked to first pregnancies. This overlap between the two has led some to wonder if preeclampsia may be associated [...]
Big Data Meets Perinatal Psychiatry: A Cautionary Tale
Big data is changing the face of medicine, yielding information that may drastically change how we practice medicine. Â In the field of perinatal psychiatry, we are now seeing more and more studies which rely on large databases to answer questions regarding the safety of psychotropic medications during pregnancy. The most recent example of this trend is the article published last week on the link between prenatal antidepressant exposure and increased risk [...]