Common mental disorders (CMD) such as anxiety and depression during the maternal period can cause significant morbidity to the mother in addition to disrupting biological, attachment and parenting processes that affect child development. Pharmacological treatment is a first-line option for moderate to severe episodes. Many women prescribed pharmacological treatments cease them during pregnancy but it is unclear to what extent non-pharmacological options are offered as replacement. There are also concerns that treatments offered may not be proportionate to need in minority ethnic groups, but few data exist on treatment disparities in the maternal period. We examined these questions in a multi-ethnic cohort of women with CMD living in Bradford, England before, during and up to one year after pregnancy.
Abortion is associated with moderate to high risk of psychological problems such as depression, use of alcohol or marijuana, anxiety, depression and suicidal behaviours. The increased risk of depression after spontaneous abortion in Asian populations has not been clearly established. Only a few studies have explored the relationship between grief and depression after abortion.
Background: Although many women treated with psychotropic medication become pregnant, no psychotropic medication has been licensed for use in pregnancy. This leaves women and their health-care professionals in a treatment dilemma, as they need to balance the health of the woman with that of the unborn child. The aim of this project was to investigate the risks and benefits of psychotropic medication in women treated for psychosis who become pregnant.
Approximately 6.2 % of women in the USA and 3.7 % of women in the UK, use Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) during their pregnancies because of depression and/or anxiety. In the Netherlands, this prevalence is around 2 %. Nonetheless, SSRI use during pregnancy is still controversial. On the one hand SSRIs may be toxic to the intrauterine developing child, while on the other hand relapse or recurrence of depression during pregnancy poses risks for both mother and child. Among patients and professionals there is an urgent need for evidence from randomized studies to make rational decisions regarding continuation or tapering of SSRIs during pregnancy. At present, no such studies exist.
Open access. In pregnant smoking cessation trial participants, to estimate (1) among women abstinent at the end of pregnancy, the proportion who re-start smoking at time-points afterwards (primary analysis) and (2) among all trial participants, the proportion smoking at the end of pregnancy and at selected time-points during the postpartum period (secondary analysis).
To examine the ability of different common measures of cigarette dependence to predict smoking cessation during pregnancy. Please contact the library to receive a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Support and advice is available for both mums and dads with maternal mental health issues in Lincolnshire from health visitors.
Health visitors are specially trained to support both mum and dad and it is important that parents are open and honest about their feelings and emotions at their appointments.
Compared to the rate for males in most developed countries, the suicide rate in females is comparatively low. Suicide is rarer still in females during the perinatal period (usually defined as the time of pregnancy up to and including one year after giving birth).
Despite this seeming rarity, suicide now represents the leading cause of maternal mortality in developed nations (Oates, 2003), principally as more physiological causes of maternal death, such as haemorrhage, obstetric embolisms, and pre-eclampsia/eclampsia, have become rarer with the routine health screening and care that pregnant women in developed nations now receive (Palladino et al, 2011).
Postnatal depression affects women from all cultures and countries. The postnatal period is thought to be a vulnerable time for all mothers. Immigrant women may be at particular risk as they attempt to adhere to childbirth rituals in western societies which might exacerbate stress, while navigating through the multiple stressors they face from migration in the transition to motherhood. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
The postpartum period is associated with a high risk of psychiatric episodes. The authors studied mortality in women with first-onset severe psychiatric disorders following childbirth and compared their mortality rates with those in women from the background population including other female psychiatric patients (mothers and childless women). Login at top right hand side of page using your SSSFT NHS Athens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Objectives Interventions to prevent postpartum common mental disorders (PCMD) among unselected populations of women have had limited success. The aim was to determine whether What Were We Thinking (WWWT) a gender-informed, psychoeducational programme for couples and babies can prevent PCMD among primiparous women 6 months postpartum. Open Access Article
This quality standard covers the recognition, assessment, care and treatment of mental health problems in women during pregnancy and the postnatal period (up to 1 year after childbirth). It also includes providing pre-conception support and advice for women with an existing mental health problem who might become pregnant, and the organisation of mental health services needed in pregnancy and the postnatal period.
There have been hints from previous literature that antidepressants taken by pregnant women may have an effect on fetal brain development, and specifically may predispose to autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). Researchers in Quebec used a registry covering the Province's entire population to try and establish whether such a link exists (Boukhris T, et al. JAMA Peds 2015. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.3356). To read the full article, log in using your NHS Athens
Includes mental health-related priority: 'Better postnatal and perinatal mental health care, to address the historic underfunding and provision in these two vital areas, which can have a significant impact on the life chances and wellbeing of the woman, baby and family'
Conclusions Higher residential greenness was associated with a reduced likelihood of depressive symptoms. Associations may be stronger for more disadvantaged groups and for those who are already physically active. Improving green space is a promising intervention to reduce risk of depression in disadvantaged groups. To read the full article, log in using your NHS Athens
In February 2016, we updated this guideline to link to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA) toolkit to ensure female patients are better informed about the risks of taking valproate during pregnancy.