- Psychiatric treatment in pregnancy: preferred methods
- Psychiatric treatment in pregnancy: principles of pharmacotherapy
- Psychiatric treatment in pregnancy: why is it sometimes necessary?
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VERIFIED CONTENTAuthor: lek. Tomasz NęckiPregnancy is a period of life during which certain substances should be avoided - this applies to alcohol and cigarettes, as well as various pharmaceuticals. Doctors repeatedly emphasize that pregnant patients should take medications only when necessary. For this reason, women expecting a baby have many doubts - they may concern, among others, treatment of mental disorders.
It used to be said that pregnancy is not a disease or a condition that protects patients from the world, and it really is - just as pregnant women have certain privileges that are specific to them, but some problems may concern them as well as these people, who are not expecting a baby.
Pregnant women have various infections, struggle with chronic diseases such as diabetes and asthma, but they can also struggle with various mental disorders.
During pregnancy - as most patients know very well - it is recommended to avoid taking medications that are not necessary. Just as the above statement is definitely true, it is also the reason why many women and their loved ones have various doubts.
They may concern, inter alia, treatment of mental disorders in pregnancy - many patients who struggle with this type of problems, before trying for a child, and while waiting for the birth of a child, wonder whether psychiatric treatment during pregnancy is possible at all.
Psychiatric treatment in pregnancy: preferred methods
Pregnant patients suffer from various mental disorders - sometimes they suffer from depression or anxiety disorders, but also women who have been suffering from bipolar disorder or schizophrenia for some time become pregnant. Treatment of problems of interest in psychiatry is usually associated with taking psychotropic drugs - just as it is indeed one of the basic methods of treatment in psychiatry, pharmacotherapy is definitely not the only option available to choose from.
How a pregnant woman with mental disorders will be treated depends, of course, on her mental state, but also on whether these disorders appearedeven before or during pregnancy. In those patients whose mental he alth problems first developed in pregnancy, drug treatment is avoided as long as possible.
Therapeutic interactions are preferred - psychotherapy can be an effective method of treating, for example, anxiety disorders or mild forms of depression. Pharmacotherapy in pregnancy is also possible, but it should be carried out with appropriate precautions.
It is worth mentioning one of the methods of treatment used in psychiatry, in the case of which hardly anyone even thinks that it can be used in women who are expecting a baby. We are talking about electroconvulsive therapy, which - contrary to appearances - is sometimes safer in future mothers than pharmacological treatment.
Psychiatric treatment in pregnancy: principles of pharmacotherapy
As it has already been mentioned above, patients who had been diagnosed with some mental disorders even long before the start of trying for a child can get pregnant. The most advantageous situation is when a woman informs her attending psychiatrist that she is planning a pregnancy even before trying to conceive a child - then it is possible to make appropriate modifications to pharmacotherapy in advance.
Some psychotropic drugs are less dangerous, and others are more dangerous in pregnancy - there are preparations in which their use has been proven to pose a risk of birth defects in a child, as well as preparations that are associated with a significantly lower risk of fetus. It is for this reason that it is worth informing your doctor in advance about your plans to conceive a child - then it is possible, if necessary, to change the medication taken so far by the patient to some other agent, which will be simply safer for the child.
Sometimes, in pregnant women, modifications of pharmacotherapy do not have to be based on a complete change of current treatment - it is generally recommended that patients take the lowest effective doses of psychotropic drugs. This is also another premise that it is best to implement changes in treatment before you start trying for a child - then it is possible to check relatively safely what doses of drugs are sufficient for the patient.
Psychiatric treatment in pregnancy: why is it sometimes necessary?
Sometimes - e.g. in those women who have been treated for some time for depression that occurred in them even before pregnancy - it is possible to stop completely while waiting for a child.psychotropic drugs. However, it is important that the patient does not do it on her own. When it is not possible due to her mental state, a woman can actually harm not only herself, but also her unborn child.
In some psychiatric problems - such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia - pharmacotherapy keeps them in remission. Then, when the patient completely withdraws from treatment, the effects of such a decision can be even deplorable.
This may be because, among others, until a patient with bipolar disorder starts to experience a manic episode after stopping treatment. Various problems may be associated with it, such as, for example, a tendency to impulsive behavior, excessive irritability, but also the use of various stimulants without moderation. Patients can also lose their sense of danger, which ultimately shows that an untreated manic episode in pregnancy can be very dangerous for both the mother and the fetus.
Just as psychiatric treatment during pregnancy should actually be different than in those who are not expecting a baby, it is definitely not impossible. Ultimately, when it is necessary to treat mental disorders during pregnancy, it is safest to follow the recommendations of the attending psychiatrist - this ultimately increases the safety of both the mother and her baby.