Prenatal SSRIs Can Lead to Adolescent Depression

The rate of depression is 400% higher in exposed offspring during early adolescence compared with the rate in nonexposed offspring of depressed women.

Studies of the possible psychiatric effects of gestational exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are largely limited to preschool autism spectrum disorders (ASDs; NEJM JW Psychiatry Feb 2014 and N Engl J Med 2013; 369:2406).

To study rates of depression, ASD, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in offspring until age 14, investigators used Finnish registries with data on maternal psychiatric care, maternal SSRI prescriptions, and childhood diagnoses. (In Finland, all children are screened for behavioral problems annually, with specialists following children with positive screens.) Cumulative rates of depression in offspring were as follows:

8.2% in offspring of 15,729 women who purchased SSRIs from 30 day…

Reviewing Author

Barbara Geller, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Barbara Geller, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Prenatal SSRIs Can Lead to Adolescent Depression

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Reviewing Author