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The Impact of Mood Disorders and Their Treatment on the Pregnant Woman, the Fetus, and the Infant

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Abstract

Treatment of mood disorders in pregnant or nursing women can carry significant risks for the mother and the developing infant. For patients and physicians, it may be difficult to obtain current information to make the proper decisions regarding pharmacologic and alternative treatments. Thus, this paper discusses the risks and benefits of pharmacologic treatment and the risks of not treating depression and bipolar disorder in the pregnant woman. The safety of treatment options is reviewed. Alternative treatment options are also discussed.

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Disclosure

Drs. Ronald and Elizabeth Weller are co-owners of the Children’s Interview for Psychiatric Syndromes (and the parent’s version) and have received annual royalties from copyright ownership of this diagnostic interview. Dr. Elizabeth Weller was the principal investigator for a grant from GlaxoSmithKline to investigate the tolerability and efficacy of lamotrigine in children and adolescents diagnosed with bipolar disorder. No other potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article were reported.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Children’s National Medical Center, 111 Michigan Avenue, NW, Suite 1200, Washington, DC, 20010, USA

    Angelica L. Kloos

  2. Columbia University, 2033 Lerner Hall, 2920 Broadway, New York, NY, 10027-6902, USA

    Abigail Dubin-Rhodin

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, 833 Chestnut Street, Suite 210, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, USA

    Jillan Cantor Sackett

  4. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 3440 Market Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Thomas A. Dixon

  5. Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, 3600 Market Street, 7th Floor, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Ronald A. Weller

  6. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Elizabeth B. Weller

Authors
  1. Angelica L. Kloos
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  2. Abigail Dubin-Rhodin
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  3. Jillan Cantor Sackett
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  4. Thomas A. Dixon
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  5. Ronald A. Weller
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  6. Elizabeth B. Weller
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Correspondence to Angelica L. Kloos.

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Kloos, A.L., Dubin-Rhodin, A., Sackett, J.C. et al. The Impact of Mood Disorders and Their Treatment on the Pregnant Woman, the Fetus, and the Infant. Curr Psychiatry Rep 12, 96–103 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-010-0098-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-010-0098-6

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