Antidepressants In Pregnancy Linked To Anxiety In Children?

Children whose mothers took antidepressants while pregnant are more likely to experience anxiety, says study.

16:30 20 April 2015

A research conducted by scientists in Norway found that antidepressants in pregnancy results to higher rates of anxiety in children. It also found that untreated depression, without the use of prenatal antidepressants, is associated with behaviour problems in children. 

 

The researchers studied 20,000 pair of siblings from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort study with babies and toddlers aged up to three. 

 

The mental health of the mothers was assessed with questions about symptoms of anxiety and depression while pregnant and six months after birth. 

 

More than 20per cent of the women were found to be suffering from depression while they were pregnant. These mothers managed their depressions through healthy means (cognitive behavioural therapy, counseling sessions, etc.) while others resorted to smoking, drinking and drug use including taking anti-depressants. 

 

“At 36 months of age, the crude unmatched regression analyses showed significant associations between prenatal antidepressant exposure and internalizing behaviour,” the study states.