Andrew Solomon In the NY Times About Depression During Pregnancy
In 2001, Andrew Solomon published The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression. As somebody who has long suffered from depression, Mr. Solomon brings to this book a nuanced understanding of depression -- looking at it from many different angles: personal, cultural, scientific, and political. An updated version of his book will be released next week and will include a chapter on depression emerging in the context of pregnancy. This chapter is [...]
Position Paper: Non-Hormonal Treatments for Vasomotor Symptoms
A recent paper from the European Menopause and Andropause Society (EMAS) reviews non-hormonal therapy options for the treatment of menopausal vasomotor symptoms. This EMAS position paper provides guidance for treaters managing peri- and postmenopausal women who cannot or do not want to use hormones to manage their symptoms. While the information here is not new, it does highlight what we have seen -- that many commonly used non-pharmacologic treatments and supplements [...]
Many Women Experience Stress, Depression During Pregnancy: Few Seek Help
While we are becoming more attentive to screening for depressive symptoms during pregnancy and the postpartum period, we may not always ask about stressful life events, especially when a woman has had what most would consider an “uncomplicated” pregnancy. This is unfortunate, given the fact that many women experience a wide variety of stressors during pregnancy which may render them more vulnerable to depression during pregnancy and the postpartum period. To [...]
Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Anxiety in Pregnancy
About 15% of women experience either anxiety or depressive symptoms during pregnancy. While we have data to support the reproductive safety of various antidepressant and anxiolytic medications, our data regarding the effects of these medications are incomplete and many women and their treaters are understandably reluctant to use medications in this setting. Therefore we need to develop effective psychotherapies which can be used in this population. Over the last decade, we [...]
Infants in the NICU: High Risk for PTSD in First-Time Mothers
Having a newborn child in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is understandably stressful. Previous studies have demonstrated that mothers in this setting are at increased risk for postpartum depression (PPD). In addition, a recent study indicates that rates of post-traumatic disorder (PTSD) are very high in this population. In this study from South Korea, the researchers collected self-reported psychological data from 130 mothers of NICU babies and 53 mothers of [...]
In Brief: Study Finds No Link Between Antipsychotics and Gestational Diabetes
Given the number of younger women using atypical antipsychotic medications, we need more accurate data regarding the reproductive safety of these medications. To better understand the link between antipsychotic medication and medical conditions associated with pregnancy, including gestational diabetes and hypertension, researchers compared pregnancy outcomes in 1,021 pregnant women taking antipsychotic medication to outcomes in 1, 021 unmedicated women of similar age, income, and psychiatric illness history. This study calls into [...]