bipolar disorder - MGH Center for Women's Mental Health

Screening for Postpartum Depression: New Data on the EPDS

For women the postpartum period is a time of increased vulnerability to mood disorders. Recent estimates indicate that about 20% of women will suffer from significant depressive symptoms during the year after the birth of a child. Despite a significant push over the last decade to identify and effectively treat women with mood disorders during pregnancy and the postpartum period, treatment rates in this population remain unacceptably low. Furthermore, questions still remain regarding the optimal timing of screening and the best instruments to be used in this setting.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-06T11:59:45-04:00April 2nd, 2013|Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders|0 Comments

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|Psychiatric Disorders During Pregnancy|0 Comments

Lithium Use During Pregnancy: What are the Long-Term Effects?

While we have data on the use of lithium use during pregnancy with regard to risk for congenital malformations, there is much less information on the long-term effects of lithium on neurodevelopment. A recent study from the Perinatal Center of the Leiden University Medical Center provides some reassuring data on the long-term effects of lithium exposure.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2016-03-28T13:27:08-04:00September 5th, 2012|Psychiatric Disorders During Pregnancy|3 Comments

Use of Antipsychotic Medications in Pregnancy Increases Risk of Gestational Diabetes

Atypical antipsychotic medications are commonly used for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Despite the increasing use of these medications in women of child-bearing age, there is still relatively little data regarding the reproductive safety of these medications.

By Ruta Nonacs, MD PhD|2024-04-14T16:18:01-04:00July 17th, 2012|Psychiatric Disorders During Pregnancy|0 Comments

Postpartum Psychosis Can be Prevented in Women at High Risk

Women with bipolar disorder or history of postpartum psychosis are at high risk for postpartum psychosis; appropriate interventions significantly decrease this risk.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2021-12-06T09:21:55-04:00June 6th, 2012|Bipolar Disorder, Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders, Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders, Postpartum Psychosis|6 Comments

Pregnancy and Medications: A Personal Essay from Dr. Helen Kim in JAMA

In this essay published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Dr. Helen Kim (an alumna of the CWMH) discusses the challenges of treating women with severe psychiatric illness during pregnancy:

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-12T16:33:19-04:00May 15th, 2012|Psychiatric Disorders During Pregnancy|6 Comments

Lithium and Breastfeeding

Bipolar disorder (types I and II) affect up to 5% of the population in the United States. As the onset of this condition typically occurs during or before the reproductive years, the management of bipolar disorder in women is often complicated by pregnancy. There are concerns regarding fetal exposure to medication, the impact of untreated maternal illness, and data demonstrating that women are at increased risk for relapse during the postpartum period.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2016-03-28T13:23:57-04:00May 12th, 2010|Breastfeeding and Psychiatric Medications, New Research|5 Comments

Anticonvulsant Use in Pregnancy and Nursing: Differences in Recommendations from Psychiatrists vs. Neurologists

There are strong parallels between the clinical management of bipolar disorder and epilepsy, and women with these disorders face significant challenges while pregnant or planning to conceive. In this setting, treatment decisions must balance the risks of recurrence of severe illness with the risks of potential harm to the fetus when certain medicines are taken during pregnancy.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2016-03-28T13:23:58-04:00February 3rd, 2010|Breastfeeding and Psychiatric Medications, New Research, Psychiatric Disorders During Pregnancy|3 Comments

New Research: Treatment Decisions by Pregnant Women with Bipolar Disorder

Choosing whether to maintain or discontinue mood stabilizer treatment during pregnancy requires weighing the risks of teratogenic outcomes associated with exposure to a particular drug against the risks of recurrence of untreated affective illness. However, [...]

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2016-03-28T13:23:58-04:00September 19th, 2009|New Research, Psychiatric Disorders During Pregnancy|0 Comments

Can We Identify Women at High Risk for Postpartum Psychosis?

Postpartum psychosis is rare, occurring in about 1 to 2 per 1000 women after delivery. While there appears to be a strong link between postpartum psychosis and bipolar disorder, it is estimated that about half of women who present with postpartum psychosis have no psychiatric history prior to delivery, making it difficult to identify those women who are at greatest risk for this illness. A recent study, using data from the Swedish Medical Birth Registry, has examined possible risk factors that may be used to identify women at risk for postpartum psychosis.

By Ruta Nonacs, MD PhD|2024-04-14T16:19:09-04:00August 3rd, 2009|Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders, Postpartum Psychosis|0 Comments