title: Psychopharmacoteratophobia: Excessive fear of malformation associated with prescribing psychotropic drugs during pregnancy: An Indian perspective.
abstract: "Psychopharmacoteratophobia is the fear or avoidance of prescribing psychotropic medicine to a pregnant woman on a given indication in anticipation of fetal malformation." It is rooted in the tragedy associated with thalidomide use and is increasing due to the inability to predict accurately, strict legal provision of consumer protection, ethical and legal issues involved, and pitfalls in the available evidence of teratogenicity. In the Indian setting, the physicians face more challenges as the majority of the patients may ask them to decide, what is the best for their health. Most guidelines emphasize more on what not to do than what to do, and the locus of decision is left to the doctor and the patient. In this review, we have focused on relevant issues related to psychopharmacoteraophobia that may be helpful to understand this phenomenon and help to address the deprivation of a mentally ill woman from the required treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, JSS Medical College, JSS University, Mysore, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Dushad
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ram
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, JSS Medical College, JSS University, Mysore, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Basavnna
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gowdappa
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, JSS Medical College, JSS University, Mysore, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Ashoka
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, JSS Medical College, JSS University, Mysore, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Najla
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Eiman
mesh_terms: D000014:Abnormalities, Drug-Induced / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D011619:Psychotropic Drugs
keywords: Causality; drugs; fetal malformation; mental illness; pregnancy; psychotropic drugs; teratogenicity