Posted: Thursday, March 16, 2006

LETTER
Publication Date: March 16, 2006

This letter appeared on March 16, 2006 in USA Today:

To the Editor:

The main lesson to be learned from Rita Rubin's excellent article, "Can pregnant women shake off depression?" (Life/Health, March 13th), is that there are no easy answers for women who are pregnant and depressed -- nor for their doctors.

While no drug is 100% safe, the benefit-risk balance becomes even starker when, in addition to the depressed patient, a fetus is involved. Clinical depression is a serious, sometimes life-threatening illness, and is rarely "shaken off." If a woman stops her medication out of concern for its effects on her unborn baby, a flare-up of her depression poses a severe threat to both mother and fetus. Continued treatment, however, also has its risks.

The unscientific belief that "pregnancy protects against depression" is not relevant anymore.

The pros and cons of continuing or resuming medication in the pregnant woman needs to be thoroughly discussed between each individual patient and her doctor.

Gilbert Ross, M.D.
Executive and Medical Director
The American Council on Science and Health