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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Taking A Closer Look: Autism and Antidepressants
Earlier this week, JAMA Pediatrics released the findings of a study which suggested that prenatal exposure to antidepressants may increase the risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Not surprisingly, this has created a considerable amount [...]
Anxiety Symptoms and Risk for Perimenopausal Depression
A growing body of research indicates that the menopausal transition is a period of increased vulnerability to depressive illness. Â Some women have experienced episodes of major depressive disorder (MDD) earlier in life and experience recurrent [...]
Postpartum Depression is a Heterogeneous Illness
About 15% of women suffer from postpartum depression (PPD). It appears, however, that women with PPD constitute a heterogeneous population. Â One difference that we observe clinically is that a subgroup of women with PPD experience [...]
November 2015 Roundup: Recent Publications in Reproductive Psychiatry
It has been another busy month! Ruta Nonacs, MD PhD Antidepressants, pregnancy, and stigma: how we are failing mothers and babies. Osborne LM, Payne J. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2015 Mar;203(3):164-6. Do anxiety symptoms predict major depressive disorder in midlife [...]
SSRIs and Poor Neonatal Adaptation: How Long Do the Symptoms Last?
Multiple studies have demonstrated an increased risk of poor neonatal adaptation associated with exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants in late pregnancy. Â Results in the literature consistently indicate that about 25%-30% of infants [...]
Fear of Childbirth: How Common is It? And What Should We Do?
Childbirth fear has been studied in Scandinavian countries for more than three decades; however, it has received less attention in other countries. In Australia, Toohill and colleagues reported high levels of childbirth fear, as measured [...]
Venlafaxine and Duloxetine: Pooled Analysis Shows No Increase in Risk of Malformations
Women face difficult choices when deciding whether or not to continue psychiatric medications during pregnancy. Â This choice can be especially difficult for women taking newer medications which lack adequate reproductive safety data. Â While we have [...]