Study: Stable Medication May Be More Beneficial for Pregnant Women with Moderate to Severe Depression
An international study suggests that the increased risk of hyperactivity or autism in children of mothers who take antidepressants during pregnancy may be more related to parental psychiatric history than the medication itself. Stable medication might be more beneficial for pregnant women with moderate to severe depression.
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- 📰 Published: May 16, 2026 at 19:08
- 🔍 Collected: May 16, 2026 at 19:31 (23 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 16, 2026 at 19:42 (11 min after Collected)
(Central News Agency, Taipei, 16th, Reporter Shen Pei-yao) Expectant mothers who need to take antidepressants often worry about the impact on their fetus. A multinational study shows that the increased risk of hyperactivity or autism in children may be more related to the parents' psychiatric history, and therefore, stable medication may be more beneficial for pregnant women with moderate to severe depression.
A recent study published on the 15th in 'The Lancet Psychiatry,' a collaboration between research teams from Hong Kong, Canada, Germany, and the United States, systematically reviewed 37 studies to investigate the effects of parental antidepressant use on the fetus. The data covered over 25 million people, including data from over 2.24 million people in Taiwan.
The study results suggest that a mother's use of antidepressants during pregnancy may not be the main cause of psychiatric disorders in her children. The Taiwan Science Media Center (SMC) recently invited experts to provide professional opinions on risk assessment and management measures and issued a press release.
Dr. Huang Wei-Lieh, Director of the Department of Psychiatry at National Taiwan University Hospital Yunlin Branch, pointed out that this topic is important because when a patient is pregnant, the patient, family, or medical team often considers the potential effects of medication on the fetus and may not stick with the most effective medication for the patient. This situation also exists in scenarios requiring antidepressants, such as depression and anxiety disorders.
Looking at the study results, Huang said that when fathers took antidepressants during the mother's pregnancy, the risk of their children developing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was comparable to when mothers took the medication. Since the father's medication use during pregnancy does not expose the fetus to the drug, this indicates that antidepressant exposure may not be the key reason for the increased risk of illness in children.
Furthermore, when distinguishing between drug types, only two tricyclic antidepressants were significantly associated with a higher risk of ADHD and ASD in children. Huang stated that these are older drugs, and the more commonly used contemporary antidepressants did not show a stable significant association after multiple layers of adjustment.
Huang said the study authors' interpretation of the results is that as the significant association gradually weakens with adjustments, it points to the increased risk being related to the parents' psychiatric history, and antidepressants may not have a clear role. Therefore, in cases where the mother has moderate to severe depression, continuing to take antidepressants may be a more beneficial approach.
From a clinical perspective, Huang often encounters pregnant women with a certain degree of depression or anxiety who choose not to take antidepressants due to concerns about the uncertain effects on the fetus. However, if the mother's mood is unstable, the negative impact on the fetus could be even greater.
Huang believes that since this study is a meta-analysis, it has the common limitations of such analyses. However, by consolidating findings, it has attempted to answer many past inconsistencies and has included detailed, multi-step adjustments. Its results are of considerable reference value for clinical decision-making. (Editor: Hsieh Ya-chu) 1150516
A recent study published on the 15th in 'The Lancet Psychiatry,' a collaboration between research teams from Hong Kong, Canada, Germany, and the United States, systematically reviewed 37 studies to investigate the effects of parental antidepressant use on the fetus. The data covered over 25 million people, including data from over 2.24 million people in Taiwan.
The study results suggest that a mother's use of antidepressants during pregnancy may not be the main cause of psychiatric disorders in her children. The Taiwan Science Media Center (SMC) recently invited experts to provide professional opinions on risk assessment and management measures and issued a press release.
Dr. Huang Wei-Lieh, Director of the Department of Psychiatry at National Taiwan University Hospital Yunlin Branch, pointed out that this topic is important because when a patient is pregnant, the patient, family, or medical team often considers the potential effects of medication on the fetus and may not stick with the most effective medication for the patient. This situation also exists in scenarios requiring antidepressants, such as depression and anxiety disorders.
Looking at the study results, Huang said that when fathers took antidepressants during the mother's pregnancy, the risk of their children developing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was comparable to when mothers took the medication. Since the father's medication use during pregnancy does not expose the fetus to the drug, this indicates that antidepressant exposure may not be the key reason for the increased risk of illness in children.
Furthermore, when distinguishing between drug types, only two tricyclic antidepressants were significantly associated with a higher risk of ADHD and ASD in children. Huang stated that these are older drugs, and the more commonly used contemporary antidepressants did not show a stable significant association after multiple layers of adjustment.
Huang said the study authors' interpretation of the results is that as the significant association gradually weakens with adjustments, it points to the increased risk being related to the parents' psychiatric history, and antidepressants may not have a clear role. Therefore, in cases where the mother has moderate to severe depression, continuing to take antidepressants may be a more beneficial approach.
From a clinical perspective, Huang often encounters pregnant women with a certain degree of depression or anxiety who choose not to take antidepressants due to concerns about the uncertain effects on the fetus. However, if the mother's mood is unstable, the negative impact on the fetus could be even greater.
Huang believes that since this study is a meta-analysis, it has the common limitations of such analyses. However, by consolidating findings, it has attempted to answer many past inconsistencies and has included detailed, multi-step adjustments. Its results are of considerable reference value for clinical decision-making. (Editor: Hsieh Ya-chu) 1150516