Goodbye 2016: The Year in Review
Happy New Year! It is that time of the year again when we take the time to look back and review the previous year. Probably the most striking thing I see is the sheer volume [...]
New Studies: How Maternal Depression Affects the Developing Brain
When a woman comes in for a consultation regarding the use of medications during pregnancy, we spend most of our time reviewing the potential risks of exposure to medications during pregnancy. However, we must also [...]
Weekly Roundup for DECEMBER 2, 2016: Recent Publications in Women’s Mental Health
Next week we will be reviewing two important articles which look at the effects of maternal depression on the developing brain of the child: one from Posner and colleagues and another from Lebel and colleagues. [...]
Postpartum Depression and Its Effects on Children’s IQ
The research of Lynne Murray and Peter Cooper in the 1990s was pivotal in terms of demonstrating the negative effects of postpartum depression on the cognitive development of young children and played an important role [...]
![By Vera Kratochvil [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://womensmentalhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Mother_Kissing_Baby-320x202.jpg)
Maternal Depression and Its Effects on the Child: What is the Role of Oxytocin?
There is significant literature indicating that a mother’s depression may adversely affect her young child. Studies have demonstrated that the children of depressed mothers are more likely than the children of non-depressed mothers to exhibit [...]
Antidepressant Treatment During Pregnancy May Carry Less Risk than Untreated Illness in the Mother
Some, but not all, studies have shown an association between in utero exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants and adverse pregnancy outcomes, including preterm delivery, low birth weight, and lower Apgar scores. [...]
SAGE-547: A Novel Treatment for Severe Postpartum Depression?
SAGE-547 (SAGE Therapeutics) is a new drug, an allosteric modulator of GABAA receptors, which is currently under investigation for the treatment of refractory seizure disorders. It turns out that SAGE-547 may also be useful for [...]
Depression in Fathers Affects Bonding
Multiple studies have shown that postpartum depression can interfere with bonding between the mother and her infant. While new fathers may also develop depression, little is known about how depression in the father affects bonding. [...]
From Ob Gyn News: Opportunities and Limits in Universal Screening for Perinatal Depression
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Committee on Obstetric Practice recently published a revised opinion on screening for perinatal depression, recommending that “clinicians screen patients at least once during the perinatal period for [...]
Screening for Depression During Pregnancy May Lead to Misdiagnosis for Women with Bipolar Disorder
The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology now recommends that women be screened for depression during pregnancy. Because depressive symptoms during pregnancy have been associated with worse outcomes and are a robust predictor of postpartum [...]