title: Decisions about the use of psychotropic medication during pregnancy: a qualitative study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To understand the perspectives of women with severe mental illness concerning the use of psychotropic medicines while pregnant.
  
  
  METHODS
  Interviews conducted by female peer researchers with personal experience of making or considering decisions about using psychotropic medicines in pregnancy, supported by professional researchers.
  
  
  METHODS
  12 women who had had a baby in the past 5 years and had taken antipsychotics or mood-stabilisers for severe mental illness within the 12-month period immediately prior to that pregnancy. Recruitment to the study was via peer networks and the women interviewed came from different regions of England.
  
  
  METHODS
  Interviews were arranged in places where women felt comfortable and that accommodated their childcare needs including their home, local library and the research office.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The views expressed demonstrated complex attempts to engage with decision-making about the use of psychotropic medicines in pregnancy. In nearly all cases, the women expressed the view that healthcare professionals had access to limited information leaving women to rely on experiential and common sense evidence when making decisions about medicine taking during pregnancy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings complement existing work using electronic health records by providing explanations for the discontinuation of psychotropic medicines in pregnancy. Further work is necessary to understand health professionals' perspectives on the provision of services and care to women with severe mental illness during pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Primary Care and Population Health, UCL, London, UK.
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Stevenson
authors.affiliation: McPin Foundation, London, UK.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hamilton
authors.affiliation: McPin Foundation, London, UK.
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pinfold
authors.affiliation: McPin Foundation, London, UK.
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.affiliation: McPin Foundation, London, UK.
authors.forename: Ceri R J
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Dare
authors.affiliation: McPin Foundation, London, UK.
authors.forename: Harminder
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kaur
authors.affiliation: McPin Foundation, London, UK.
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lambley
authors.affiliation: Unit for Social and Community Psychiatry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Paulina
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Szymczynska
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Foundation, London, UK.
authors.forename: Vicky
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Nicolls
authors.affiliation: Department of Primary Care and Population Health, UCL, London, UK Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Petersen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D037841:Pregnant People / Q000523:psychology; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000592:standards; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D011619:Psychotropic Drugs
keywords: DECISION MAKING; HEALTH EXPERIENCES; MEDICINE TAKING; MENTAL HEALTH; QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
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