Treating perinatal depression with antidepressants: the influence on emotional availability and child mental disorders

Abstract

While there is substantial research in maternal antidepressant treatment and depression and child mental health outcomes very few studies examine the role of remission of depression and whether this improves parenting and child outcomes. This study utilises data from a sample of 246 women from the first trimester of pregnancy until the child reached 4 years of age including 49 women who took antidepressants in pregnancy, 23 women who had untreated depressive disorder and 174 control women. At recruitment the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM (SCID) was administered. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) twice in pregnancy and at 6 and 12 months postpartum. At 6 months, the pare..