In a study that included nearly 30,000 women from Nordic countries who had filled a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) prescription during pregnancy, researchers found no significant association between use of these medications during pregnancy and risk of stillbirth, neonatal death, or postneonatal death, after accounting for factors including maternal psychiatric disease, according to a study in the January 2 issue of JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association).

Olof Stephansson, M.D., Ph.D., of the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden and colleagues conducted a study to examine whether SSRI exposure during pregnancy was associated with increased risks of stillbirth, neonatal death, and postneonatal death. The study included women with single births from all Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) at different periods from 1996 through 2007. The researchers obtained information on maternal use of SSRIs from prescription registries; maternal characteristics, pregnancy, and neonatal outcomes were obtained from patient and medical birth registries. The authors estimated relative risks of stillbirth, neonatal death, and postneonatal death associated with SSRI use during pregnancy taking into account maternal characteristics and previous psychiatric hospitalization.

"The present study of more than 1.6 million births suggests that SSRI use during pregnancy was not associated with increased risks of stillbirth, neonatal death, or postneonatal death. The increased rates of stillbirth and postneonatal mortality among infants exposed to an SSRI during pregnancy were explained by the severity of the underlying maternal psychiatric disease and unfavorable distribution of maternal characteristics such as cigarette smoking and advanced maternal age."

"However, decisions regarding use of SSRIs during pregnancy must take into account other perinatal outcomes and the risks associated with maternal mental illness," the researchers conclude.

There has been a lot of discussion about the patchiness of perinatal services across the UK: some areas have very good services and excellent Mother and Baby Units while others have little or no service to speak of.

Clare Dolman talks to psychiatrist Dr. Jenny Cooke, who has been trying to improve access to services in her area of East Sussex.

When Dr. Cooke became a higher trainee in psychiatry four years ago, she was surprised at the lack of specialist help for expectant mothers with mental health problems. ‘As a trainee psychiatrist we are allocated time to develop an area of specialist expertise and I was very interested in perinatal psychiatry’, she says.  ‘Fortunately, the local Mental Health Commissioning lead was a GP who shared my interest so we undertook some research to find out what the current clinical pathways were for women with psychiatric needs in the perinatal period.  We talked to all local professionals – psychiatrists, midwives, health visitors and community psychiatric nurses – about where they refer in to services and what the problems were’.

She found many gaps.  ‘Many professionals didn’t know how to refer women on, the system was very unwieldy and complicated, and even if a woman got referred to a psychiatrist, he or she often didn’t have any specialist training in perinatal treatment.  It was really hit and miss’.

‘I discovered that one of the obstetricians who had an interest in mental health had set up her own clinic for midwives to refer into but she was a bit overwhelmed so in my ‘Special Interest’ time, I started helping her.  It was only one morning every fortnight and sometimes we were seeing women with minor anxiety whereas women with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia who had been well for some time and so been discharged from the system but were now pregnant and so at high risk of illness, were being missed’.

Dr. Cooke could also only see women antenatally so it was impossible to have continuity: ‘We had to think about how we could improve the care pathway so we got a steering group together and are working with local mental health and maternity commissioners who see that this is a priority.  We’ve improved the Midwives’ Booking Form, and we’re hoping to provide some mental health training for them so that they can recognize the women who are at greatest risk even if they appear well.  Funding for my time has been doubled to one morning per week for up to a year, which will allow psychiatrists, health visitors and GPs to refer in directly’, she says.

If women do suffer from a severe postpartum illness, there is no NHS-provided Mother and Baby Unit for them to go to: they have to be sent to a private unit in Eastbourne, which is difficult to refer into and so not used as much as it could be.

Dr. Cooke is keen to see the perinatal clinic go on developing: ‘At the moment we can’t of course respond to emergencies and, as demand grows, one morning a week will not be enough to see everyone.  I am hoping we might be able to have a psychiatric nurse linked to the clinic to be a more regular point of contact, and who can visit those women in the community who can’t make it into the clinic for whatever reason’.

She supports APP’s campaign to impress upon funding bodies that good perinatal care should be a priority as it not only helps to keep mothers well and give children the best possible start in life but, if seen in terms of preventing lengthy hospital or MBU admissions, it can also prove cost-effective in the long run. ‘Our local commissioners have been very supportive but, as we all know, funding is very stretched at the moment, and so we have to be hopeful that the importance of this service is recognized’, says Dr. Cooke.

She feels it is important for both clinicians and NHS consumers around the UK to do what they can to bring this to the attention of their local commissioners.  ‘We have had the NICE guidelines since 2007 saying that we should be providing these services but in so many areas of the country they don’t exist, ‘ she says.  Perhaps it will take local campaigning from enthusiastic health professionals like Jennifer Cooke, supported by charities such as APP and the newly-formed Maternal Mental Health Alliance, to get more of them in place.

Lancet editorial on the stigma of perinatal mental illness 10/11/12.

Last week, it fell to a judge in a UK court to decide the fate of a woman who had killed both her children, while suffering from postnatal depression. The court heard from three psychiatrists who gave evidence that Felicia Boots, who suffocated her 14-month-old and 10-week-old children, had postnatal depression. She had stopped her prescribed antidepressants because she was convinced that the drugs would harm her baby through her breast milk and feared that her children would be taken away from her. Justice Fulford said: “A prison sentence would be wholly inappropriate in this case…I unreservedly accept that what she did to the two children, that she and her husband loved and nurtured, were the results of physical and biological factors beyond her control.” The verdict was manslaughter due to diminished responsibility (murder charges were dropped), and the outcome is inpatient psychiatric treatment...Read more>>

The workshop is run by Action on Postpartum Psychosis, in collaboration with The University of Birmingham and the University of Cardiff, for women who have experienced Postpartum Psychosis.

Engaging with the media can be a good way of raising awareness about Postpartum Psychosis and getting information out to health professionals and the general public. However, deciding to talk openly about PP requires careful consideration. During the workshop, we’ll hear from women who have shared their stories, whether in a magazine, newspaper or on the radio; hear how they felt it went, and discuss the issues to consider when engaging with the media. Producers and journalists will tell us about their motivations, how they approach stories and what makes things work for their outlets. We’ll learn about ways of preparing for interview, the art of ‘story telling’ and building confidence, and we’ll discuss any anxieties people have about dealing with the media. We’ll have an update on the latest facts and research about PP, and start to develop APP’s media strategy for raising awareness of PP.

For those who wish to, there will be a chance to practice being interviewed for broadcast and for print, with individual feedback from professionals. Over the 2 days we will develop audio and video podcasts for the APP website on a range of topics determined by you. Aside from the ‘work’ part of the workshop, it will be a good chance to get to know more about APP and meet other APP members. The workshop will be informal, friendly and low stress – no role playing or audiences to watch you have a go!

When: The course will take place over 2 days on Friday 19th (11am – 5.30pm) and Saturday 20th October (9.30am – 3.30pm).

Where: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston campus, Birmingham.

Who: A group of 8 women who have all experienced PP and expressed an interest in helping to increase media coverage of PP and developing resources to raise awareness of PP. The workshop is being organised by Dr Jessica Heron (Vice Chair - Action on Postpartum Psychosis; Perinatal Research Fellow - University of Birmingham) and Lucy Vernall (Media Coordinator - Action on Postpartum Psychosis; IdeasLab Project Director, University of Birmingham).

Funding: The workshop is funded by the Big Lottery. We are able to cover participant’s travel expenses, accommodation on Friday night, meals, and other costs necessary to attend the course (such as childcare).

Accommodation: Friday night’s accommodation will be in University of Birmingham Conference Facilities

Contact: If you would like further details about taking part in the workshop, please contact Jessica Heron: j.c.heron@bham.ac.uk

As part of the Bipolar Awareness Day 2012 series, Psychiatrist Dr Ian Jones talks to Clare Dolman, Chair of Bipolar UK, about how bipolar can affect women, particularly during pregnancy and after birth.

Click Here to visit the The Royal College of Psychiatrists website & listen to the podcast.

Our 'More than baby blues?' presentation at the Cheltenham Science Festival this year was very well received with a turnout of nearly 100 people. Considering the damp, cold and very blustery night, we were impressed by the audience's stamina!

Tracy spoke very honestly and was forthright about the horrors - and the humorous aspects of her experience of PP – thank you Tracy.

The response the three speakers, Dr Ian Jones, Clare Dolman and Tracy Vicker received was excellent, with plenty of interesting questions from the audience at the end. People came up afterwards to thank us for a very informative talk and said they felt they had a much better understanding of the condition than previously.

Well done and thank you to the speakers, supporters and organisers. Also, a big thank you to all those who attended, we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!