The effects of antidepressant medications on mothers and babies.

Depression during pregnancy may be undertreated for a variety of reasons, one of which is concern regarding the safety of antidepressant medication. Dr. Grigoriadis leads a program of research to develop a reference guide to facilitate perinatal treatment discussions. The clinical group has published systematic reviews and meta-analyses on various potential outcomes following antidepressant exposure (i.e., congenital anomalies, spontaneous abortion, delivery outcomes, immediate neonatal outcomes and persistent pulmonary hypertension) in addition to outcomes associated with maternal depression. Some of the results of this program of research are presented together with a case example to start your thinking on the issues.