About 15% of women suffer from depression during pregnancy, and the rate of depressive illness is greater in women with pre-existing histories of depression.  While there are data to support the use of certain antidepressants during pregnancy, many women are reluctant to seek pharmacologic treatment during pregnancy and may benefit from efficacious non-pharmacologic options.  In [...]

In treating pregnant women with mood or anxiety disorders, we tend to focus primarily on the reproductive safety of psychotropic medications; however, it must be recognized that withholding or withdrawing pharmacologic treatment for depression or anxiety during pregnancy may carry some degree of risk. Untreated psychiatric illness in the mother cannot be considered a benign [...]