Treatment of Depression during pregnancy-Dont wait!

 In my practice, I find that there are so many issues on the the minds of pregnant women and sometimes anxieties that they don't know the cause of but keep them tossing and turning at night.  What makes it even more baffling and upsetting is that this is true even though  the pregnancy may be welcome and thrilling.   Some women fear that talking about an issue will make it more real and therefor worse,  while others may feel ashamed of the thoughts and feelings they are having.  For these reasons and more the tendency is to wait and hope that things will spontaneously get better.  The obvious consequence of this is that things get worse and mild to moderate anxiety or depression becomes severe.

This past Fall (2009), the American Psychiatric Association and The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists joined forces to review the existing data regarding treatment of depression in pregnant women and make recommendations. Because there can be consequences to taking medication and also to untreated depression, the report emphasized the need for decisions to be made on a case-by-case basis.  It's no wonder doctors and their patients may feel stuck between a rock and a hard place. However, one finding was clear, that talk therapy should be the first-line treatment for mild to moderate depression in pregnant women.

So don't let mild symptoms reach crisis proportions.  Talking with a competent mental health professional can shed new light on dark issues, which is why I urge women and the doctors who treat them to choose action over non-action.  It's always a better choice.