News release

From: The Lancet

The Lancet Psychiatry: No clear link between common antidepressant use in pregnancy and autism or ADHD in children, finds most comprehensive study to date

• Meta-analysis of 37 studies totalling more than half a million pregnancies with antidepressant use found no significant link between common antidepressant use during pregnancy and autism/ADHD in children after adjusting for the mother’s mental health and other factors.
• Before accounting for confounding factors, the study found a small association between antidepressant use during pregnancy and autism or ADHD in children. However, this link was also seen with antidepressant use in mothers before conception and in fathers during pregnancy, suggesting the association reflects parental mental health and genetics rather than the medication itself.
• Authors say doctors and patients should weigh the benefit and risks of antidepressant use for moderate to severe depression in pregnancy with the potential harms of a depression relapse. They highlight that supporting good mental health for both mothers and fathers is beneficial for a child’s neurodevelopment.

Current evidence does not support a causal link between the use of almost all antidepressants during pregnancy and an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), in children, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published in The Lancet Psychiatry journal.