Course Description:

This course on antidepressant treatment for depression during pregnancy and postpartum reviews the comparative benefits and harms of treatment for depression in woman who are pregnant or experiencing postpartum depression. It is based upon material published by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and is available as an open access article.

 A wide array of nonpharmacological interventions can be used to treat depression, including various psychotherapies, electroconvulsive therapy, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, and acupuncture.15-19 Some of these may be used during pregnancy, whereas others may be reserved for use in the postpartum period (e.g., electroconvulsive therapy). Decisionmaking surrounding treatment of depression in pregnancy is complex because the harms of treatments must be balanced against the potential harms to mother and fetus of untreated depression. The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the benefts and harms of various pharmacological treatment options for depression during pregnancy and the postpartum period compared with each other, with nonpharmacological treatments, and with usual care or no treatment.  

 This course on the efficacy of pharmacological treatment for women with depression during and after pregnancy is designed for social workers, professional counselors, psychologists, nurses, and substance abuse counselors, who do clinical work.  This course is appropriate for beginning, intermediate and advanced level practitioners who wish to develop their understanding of efficacy of pharmacological treatment for women with depression during and after pregnancy. The course material includes a literature review of interventions.  It may also be useful for licensed clinicians who require clinical continuing education courses for license renewal.  

 The course is based on a journal article which includes research.  It contains statistical analysis and data that some clinicians enjoy reading and others do not.  A major benefit of reading research-based articles for continuing education is they provide practitioners with the latest findings in their field. 

 Authors:  McDonagh, Matthews, Phillipi, Romm, Peterson, Thakurta, Guise.

 Learning Objectives: This course will provide the practitioner with detailed information regarding the efficacy of pharmacological treatment for women with depression during and after pregnancy.  Specifically, a professional will:

• Describe the maternal benefits of depression treatments during pregnancy
• Recognize the impact on the child when the mother is taking SSRIs during pregnancy
• Explain the links between using anti-depressants during pregnancy and a child having ADHD

Citation:  McDonagh, M., Matthews, A., Phillipi, C., Romm, J., Peterson, K., Thakurta, S., & Guise, J. M. (2016). Antidepressant Treatment of Depression During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period. Evidence Report/Technology Assessment, (216), 1-308.

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