Psychiatric Disorders During Pregnancy - MGH Center for Women's Mental Health

Screening for Peripartum Anxiety Disorders: What Are the Best Screening Tools?

A significant number of women experience anxiety symptoms during pregnancy, with about 8.5% of women meeting criteria for generalized anxiety disorder. Other anxiety disorders are less common. The estimated prevalence of panic disorder during pregnancy is 1-2%. The estimated prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder is 0.2-1.2%. While we use certain tools, including the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) to screen for depression during pregnancy, what are the best tools for indentifying women with clinically significant anxiety symptoms?

By Ruta Nonacs, MD PhD|2025-12-11T09:48:24-04:00February 12th, 2013|Anxiety Disorders, Diagnosis & Screening, Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders, Psychiatric Disorders During Pregnancy|Comments Off

Binge Drinking Common among Women of Reproductive Age

The CDC recently analyzed data from the 2011 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to determine the prevalence, frequency, and intensity of binge drinking among adult women. Data from the 2011 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) was used to assess current alcohol use and binge drinking among high school girls.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2018-07-10T15:57:55-04:00February 11th, 2013|Alcohol, Prevalence & Risk Factors, Psychiatric Disorders During Pregnancy|Comments Off

What’s Worse for Pregnancy: Bipolar Disorder or the Medications Used to Treat It?

In studies of pregnant women with unipolar depression, it has been shown that untreated psychiatric illness in the mother may have a negative impact on pregnancy outcomes, influencing the length of gestation and birthweight. There is far less data on pregnancy outcomes in women with bipolar disorder. A recent Swedish study analyzes pregnancy outcomes in treated and untreated women with bipolar disorder and attempts to distinguish between the effects of medication versus the effects of untreated psychiatric illness in the mother.

By Ruta Nonacs, MD PhD|2024-03-24T11:55:47-04:00February 5th, 2013|Bipolar Disorder, Mood Stabilizers, Outcomes, Pregnancy & Medications, Psychiatric Disorders During Pregnancy|Comments Off

Screening of Intimate Partner Violence Recommended for All Women of Reproductive Age

This is a topic we do not typically cover on our site, but it is clearly an important one. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has updated its recommendations on screening for family and intimate partner violence (IPV). These guidelines, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, recommend that all women of reproductive age be screened for intimate partner violence. The review provides some information on which screening instruments to use and reviews interventions to reduce the risk of IPV.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-06T13:36:28-04:00January 23rd, 2013|Diagnosis & Screening, General, Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders, Psychiatric Disorders During Pregnancy, PTSD and Stress Related Disorders|Comments Off

Hyperemesis Gravidarum and Depression: Which Comes First?

Most women have some nausea or vomiting, or "morning sickness", during the first trimester of pregnancy. Some women, however, have a more severe and persistent pattern of nausea and vomiting called hyperemesis gravidarum (HG). A new study demonstrates, not so surprisingly, that depression is more common in women suffering from HG.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-06T13:44:18-04:00January 15th, 2013|Depressive Disorders, Prevalence & Risk Factors, Psychiatric Disorders During Pregnancy|Comments Off

Is There a Link Between Vitamin D Deficiency and Antenatal Depression?

Several studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency is associated with depression. A recent study has assessed the relationship between vitamin D levels and risk for antenatal depression in a cohort of African-American women. Vitamin D deficiency is more common among African-American women than in Caucasians. The active form of vitamin D is produced as a byproduct of natural sun exposure. Because women with darker skin have more melanin, which blocks the sun’s rays and affects the skin’s ability to produce the active form of vitamin D, they typically have lower vitamin D levels.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-11T09:37:16-04:00November 3rd, 2012|Depressive Disorders, Prevalence & Risk Factors, Psychiatric Disorders During Pregnancy|Comments Off

Screening for Perinatal Depression: What Can We Learn From Australia?

In 2009, the Australian government launched the National Perinatal Depression Initiative (NPDI) in order “to improve the prevention and early detection of antenatal and postnatal depression and to provide better support and treatment for expectant and new mothers experiencing depression.” Its scope is very much like the MOTHERS Act, which became law in the United States in 2010. Both initiatives seek to increase public awareness of perinatal depression, to provide support and treatment for pregnant and postpartum women with depression, to fund research in this area, and to implement training of health care professionals.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-11T09:57:25-04:00October 17th, 2012|Depressive Disorders, Diagnosis & Screening, Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders, Psychiatric Disorders During Pregnancy|Comments Off

CBT for Depression During Pregnancy Improves Mothers’ Attentiveness to Her Infant

During pregnancy, a woman develops increasing sensitivity and responsiveness to infants’ distress. If depression during pregnancy occurs, this process may be disrupted. Various studies are shown that women with depression are less responsive to an infant’s distress. The major concern is that this diminished responsiveness may persist as long as one year after the child is born, and when it persists, it may negatively affect the child. Decreased responsiveness of the mother to the infant’s cues may lead to emotional, cognitive and developmental problems in the child later on.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-12T11:25:09-04:00October 10th, 2012|Depressive Disorders, Psychiatric Disorders During Pregnancy, Psychotherapy, Treatment|Comments Off

Mindfulness Yoga for the Treatment of Depression During Pregnancy: A Pilot Study

Over the past decade, the clinical literature has published many studies documenting the psychosocial and health benefits of various mind-body interventions. Mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to reduce stress, to improve coping skills, and to promote feelings of well-being. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is a new psychotherapeutic treatment which has been shown to reduce depressive symptoms and to reduce the risk of depressive relapse.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-12T11:59:23-04:00September 11th, 2012|Alternative & Complementary, Depressive Disorders, Psychiatric Disorders During Pregnancy, Treatment|Comments Off

Depression During Pregnancy Increases the Risk of Preterm Birth

Some, but not all, studies have indicated that depression during pregnancy increases the risk of preterm birth. A recent study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology is one of the largest to address this question.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-12T12:02:07-04:00September 11th, 2012|Depressive Disorders, Outcomes, Pregnancy Outcomes, Psychiatric Disorders During Pregnancy|Comments Off