Objectives: Antidepressants are the first line treatment for moderate to severe major depressive disorder (MDD) in perinatal and general populations. However, there appears to be paucity of evidence around antidepressant use in women with postpartum depression or anxiety. Selection of an appropriate antidepressant is crucial in promoting efficacy, optimizing tolerability, and managing comorbid anxiety or depression.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Womens Health (Larchmt)
September 2015
Perinatal generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) has a high prevalence of 8.5%-10.5% during pregnancy and 4.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To identify specific quantitative and qualitative factors that govern the decision to adhere or decline antidepressant medication in antenatal women with moderate-to-severe mood and anxiety disorders.
Methods: Fifty women (30 adherers, 20 decliners) were recruited between 18 and 34 weeks gestation in a tertiary care clinic for perinatal mothers. They were prospectively monitored 4 weeks apart up to 1-month postpartum on the: Hamilton Anxiety Scale, Hamilton Depression Scale, Mood Disorders Insight Scale, Antidepressant Compliance Questionnaire, Penn State Worry Questionnaire, and NEO Personality Inventory.
Little is known about the biopsychosocial determinants that predict postpartum treatment outcome for mood and anxiety disorders. Postpartum mood and anxiety symptoms and psychosocial/biological variables were recorded for 8 months of 22 women treated with antidepressants during pregnancy. Depression scores decreased by 58%, whereas anxiety scores decreased by 35%.
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