Taking antidepressants during pregnancy not linked to neurodevelopmental disorders in kids

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2022-10-04 02:00

International

Taking antidepressants while pregnant does not increase the risk of children developing neurodevelopmental disorders, according to US research. The study looked at almost 150,000 antidepressant-exposed pregnancies and found that while the crude data did suggest a risk, when they took into account other factors which might affect this result, the link disappeared. Overall they found that taking antidepressants during pregnancy was not linked to a higher risk of autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, or other learning and behavioural disorders.

Media release

From: JAMA

Examining Antidepressant Use During Pregnancy With Risk of Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Children

JAMA Internal Medicine

About The Study: Researchers found in this study including 145,000 pregnancies that antidepressant exposure during pregnancy was not associated with autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, specific learning disorders, developmental speech/language disorders, developmental coordination disorders, intellectual disabilities, or behavioral disorders after accounting for confounding through various design and analytic approaches.

Authors: Elizabeth A. Suarez, M.P.H., Ph.D., of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, is the corresponding author.

(doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2022.4268)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

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conference: JAMA Internal Medicine

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Organisation/s: Harvard Medical School, USA

Funder: This study was supported by the US National Institute of Mental Health (No. R01 MH116194).

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