Mood and Anxiety Disorders During Pregnancy and Postpartum

by Lee S. Cohen MD, Ruta M. Nonacs MD PhD, John M. Oldham MD MS, Michelle B. Riba MD MS

Overview

Mood and Anxiety Disorders During Pregnancy and Postpartum earns its important place in the literature by detailing our current understanding of the course, diagnosis, and treatment of psychiatric illness during pregnancy and postpartum, including breast-feeding -- a top priority today because we now know that active maternal psychiatric illness during pregnancy and postpartum can exert long-term negative effects on child development and cause significant morbidity for the mother.

In just five concise richly informative chapters, the nine distinguished contributors to Mood and Anxiety Disorders During Pregnancy and Postpartum dispel prevailing beliefs and offer invaluable guidance in treating women during pregnancy and postpartum: • Course of Psychiatric Illness During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period -- Despite the enduring belief that pregnancy is a time of emotional well-being for women, emerging data show that pregnancy is instead a time of increased vulnerability to psychiatric illness.• Diagnosis and Treatment of Mood and Anxiety Disorders During Pregnancy -- Though the use of psychotropic medications during pregnancy and postpartum raises concerns, the accumulating data support the use of certain SSRIs/tricyclic antidepressants, especially when balanced against the risk to both mother and child of depression during pregnancy.• Management of Bipolar Disorder During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period: Weighing the Risks and Benefits -- Although the onset of bipolar disorder (BP) tends to occur during women's reproductive years, surprisingly little is known about the impact of the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, postpartum, breast-feeding, and menopause on the course and treatment of bipolar disorder. • Postpartum Mood Disorders -- Women experience a dramatic increase in their risk of developing severe psychiatric illness during postpartum for a full year after delivery. Often overlooked, postpartum disorders must be identified and treated as early as possible to reduce the mother's risk for recurrent and treatment-refractory illness and the child's risk for long-term development problems due to the detrimental effect of maternal depression.• Use of Antidepressants and Mood Stabilizers in Breast-feeding Women -- This expanded clinical appraisal of the literature on antidepressant and mood stabilizer use in breast-feeding women shows that additional detailed pharmacokinetic investigations are urgently needed to enhance our understanding of nursing infant exposure and the role(s) of pharmacogenomics in determining infant exposure.

Meticulously referenced and remarkably succinct, Mood and Anxiety Disorders During Pregnancy and Postpartum provides critical information about the course of illness during pregnancy and postpartum to help guide effective individualized treatment decisions-decisions that are ultimately based on the patient's wishes.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781585622252
Publisher:	American Psychiatric Association Publishing
Publication date:	04/25/2005
Series:	Review of Psychiatry Ser.
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	164
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.25(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Lee S. Cohen, M.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Director, Perinatal and Reproductive Psychiatry Clinical Research Program, Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts

Ruta M. Nonacs, M.D., Ph.D., Instructor in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Associate Director, Perinatal and Reproductive Psychiatry Clinical Research Program, Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts

Table of Contents

ContributorsIntroduction to the Review of Psychiatry SeriesPrefaceChapter 1. Course of psychiatric illness during pregnancy and the postpartum periodChapter 2. Diagnosis and treatment of mood and anxiety disorders during pregnancyChapter 3. Management of bipolar disorder during pregnancy and the postpartum period: weighing the risks and benefitsChapter 4. Postpartum mood disordersChapter 5. Use of antidepressants and mood stabilizers in breast-feeding womenIndex

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: William Miles, MD (Rush University Medical Center)
Description: This soft cover book is one of four in the 2005 Review of Psychiatry Series. This series, published annually by the American Psychiatric Press, publishes titles on selected topics in psychiatry.
Purpose: The purpose of this book, according to the authors, is to address a spectrum of critical areas that inform the clinical care of women during the childbearing years, and to help clinicians collaborate with patients with psychiatric illness who are pregnant or wish to conceive. These are certainly worthy objectives, and the authors meet them.
Audience: The book is written for clinicians who may be treating women with psychiatric diagnoses during their childbearing years. Both psychiatric residents and practicing clinicians would benefit from this book.
Features: The book is divided into five concise, well-written chapters. The first chapter deals with the course of psychiatric illnesses during pregnancy; the authors dispel the commonly held belief that pregnancy is somehow protective of exacerbation of psychiatric disturbance. The second chapter, on treating depression and anxiety disorders during pregnancy, is especially relevant and should be read by all practicing clinicians. The third chapter deals exclusively with bipolar disorder and pregnancy. The remaining chapters cover postpartum mood disorders and breastfeeding. There are no illustrations, but several tables are scattered throughout. Each chapter is followed by an extensive reference list. A helpful index is found at the back.
Assessment: This series has always been an excellent review of relevant topics in psychiatry, and this book is no exception. In five concise, well-written chapters, the authors offer invaluable guidance in treating women during pregnancy and the post partum period. All clinicians should have a copy of this book on their shelf for easy referral. This would be an excellent addition to any clinician's library.

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