In the case of treating maternal depression in pregnant women, the situation is complicated by the possibility that leaving the depression untreated could have a negative impact on both the mother and the fetus.
So far, there is only preliminary evidence that untreated depression is harmful to the fetus, but now there is a bit more evidence to support that notion. A University of Michigan researcher, Sheila Marcus, reported in a recent meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry:
AACAP: Not Treating Depression During Pregnancy Affects Baby
SAN DIEGO, Calif., Oct. 26 -- Although antidepressants may have an effect on fetuses in utero, so may the lack of the drug during pregnancy.
Babies born to women with untreated major depressive disorder had significant changes in neurobehavioral function, were born at an earlier gestational age, and had elevated stress hormones, according to a small study reported at the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry meeting here.
"The question is, does bathing an infant in an intrauterine environment where the mother's stress hormones are high affect the baby?" said Sheila M. Marcus, M.D., of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Unfortunately, the study was small, and by itself, it does not really tell us what should be done in any particular clinical situation. What it does do is to highlight the likelihood that there is no risk-free option.
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