(no subject)

[johnpalmer]

I hate it when I hear certain kinds of news.

Did you know that a study just *proved* that pregnancy isn't a cure for depression?

Really! It's true! Some pregnant women are depressed. Pregnancy is not a universal, 100% effective, antidepressant!

Someone, *please*, tell me there's more to this than I've heard.

Or, at least tell me that they did this study because they knew they had to prove to some idiots the plain, simple, and obvious truth. *Please* tell me that it wasn't a matter of having to think about what the answer would be.

Comments

Re: Uhm... I think there's more to it, John.

[kightp.livejournal.com]

Yup, Bill's got it right. NPR reported on this last night; Here's the JAMA article (http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/295/5/499) (shouldn't require registration, but I can't always tell because the university has a site license; if you can't get to it let me know and I'll send you a copy).

In addition to investigating the veracity of an old wives' tale (that hormonal changes during pregnancy are somehow protective of the woman's mental health) - and, evidently, debunking it - the study lays the groundwork for women and their doctors to assess the relative risks to the pregnant woman of going off meds versus risks to the fetus if she stays on them.

Which is a fairly important thing for women who suffer from depression and are contemplating pregnancy to know, since at least one major antidepressant (Paxil) recently added a warning that it may increase the risk of birth defects.

Like Bill, I find the unexpected findings interesting, and worth further study.