title: What happens to mental health treatment during pregnancy? Women's experience with prescribing providers.
abstract: This exploratory study completed interviews with 25 depressed pregnant women who had prior depression, and when becoming pregnant, were receiving depression medication or tried to get mental health care. Seventy one percent of women were more than 25 weeks gestation at the time of the interview. Thirty-five percent of women were not receiving treatment. While 94 % told their provider of their pregnancy, 36 % had no opportunity to discuss the risks and benefits of continued pharmacotherapy; 42 % had no opportunity to continue pharmacotherapy. Some providers may be reluctant to treat depressed pregnant women, creating a potential barrier to their receipt of needed care.
authors.affiliation: Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA, 01655, USA, linda.weinreb@umassmemorial.org.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Weinreb
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Byatt
authors.forename: Tiffany A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Moore Simas
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tenner
authors.forename: Judith A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Savageau
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003863:Depression / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000592:standards*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D055815:Young Adult