I am a psychiatrist in the period of childbirth. The United States promotes wrong information on SSRIS and pregnancy Sunny Patel

toLast month, the FDA Consultative Committee – in the wake of “Make America Healthy Again”, which has been audited in mental drugs – sparked controversy over the safety of selective serotonin inhibitors (SSRIS) in pregnancy. These drugs are called commonly called, and these drugs are used to treat a set of disorders, and earlier this year a major mental health organizations I pushed back On the position of management.

As a psychiatrist in the period of childbirth, pregnant and post -birth people see cases such as depression and anxiety every week. I am very anxious that this general discussion – headed by the controversial food and drug department Subscribe to great wrong information About mental illness and treatment methods (with excessively simplified data denouncing “chemicals” during pregnancy).

Here in Washington, DC, she recently studied a pregnant woman struggling with severe depression and anxiety. Since she was nervously thinking about the treatment options we discussed, questions asked me about the start of the medicine to treat her condition: Will this affect my child’s development? How long will the medicine remain in my child’s bloodstream? How much does the medicine will go to breast milk? Should I stay on that forever?

These questions are part of the daily practice of those who are interested in individuals who make decisions about treating their mental health challenges during pregnancy. And responding clearly is very important to people who already deal with some of the most difficult moments of their lives.

But giving fixed guidelines becomes difficult at a time when the authorities themselves mislead the information under the guise of the scientific investigation.

There is not enough space here to dismantle all the lies that some members of the Food and Drug Administration team share, with winding tales that did not address the basic issue that is discussed.

Exaggeration in the exaggeration of the risks, which may deter the treatment, despite the strong data that supports the safety of the use of SSRIs when the signaling.

It is also attributed to the old saying to the Wr Edwards Deming: “By God we trust; all others, bring data.” Here are the data: We know that severe mental mental health challenges occur during pregnancy and postpartum period. According to another National studyThere were significant declines in mental health among pregnant women – one in five women carriers struggling with cases such as anxiety and depression while carrying them. Three out of four people carrying non -treatment. This is more than 500,000 people every year suffering from major mental health problems before, during or after their cases.

There are also real damages of depression and unspeakable anxiety – such as premature birth, bonding difficulties, and even the death of the mother by suicide or excess dose. Low newborn risks that can be controlled in general support the start of SSRI and continue to continue when they are needed clinically. These women need evidence -based care.

As for pregnant people taking SSRIS, the large reviews, which are called superstructure, do not find a general rise in the main defects born from taking SSRIS during pregnancy, and small ties sometimes disappear with heart problems with some medications in larger studies. Some of the newly exposed newborns may have a problem called a problem called nascent adaptation syndrome-mild symptoms, a withdrawal-like shortcut that includes violation, malnutrition and influence on the child’s breathing-but this always wipes routine care in the first week.

There is also a problem inherent in the way the members of the Food and Drug Administration team occurred from the case: that which reduced the mother’s health and focuses only on the child. I am the first person to say that there is a scarcity of science when it comes to the mother’s mental care. We need more research, and it is not fair to leave many huge to help outside our health system. But we must seriously weigh the risk of not treating these cases because the mental illness is real and has great effects on the well -being of a pregnant person and the child.

SSRIS is not new drugs – it has been on the market for more than 30 years, and if there is a large -scale epidemic of the damage claimed by the Food and Drug Administration Committee, they are not qualified in data. So let’s not apply an inconsistent standard to SSRIS during pregnancy. Their comments that we need more data are the last slide or almost a scientific discussion – of course, we need more strong data. This should not be stapled unnecessary suspicion and leaves patients and their doctors to forget the best way to treat these conditions.

We need the correct treatment, for the appropriate patient, at the right time. At this moment when confidence in government institutions is low, additional seeds are the last thing that my patients deserve. The American public needs to know that they get the highest quality; In the absence of this, life is at risk.

As we have seen in the case of vaccines, the official federal guidance may change quickly and often out of compatibility with the best available science. Professional medical societies are currently filled with emptiness as they limit government guidance. If this plate on SSRIS is a harbinger of what will happen, this may be the case for SSRIS during pregnancy. the American Psychological Association and The American College for Women and Gynecology Generation You have expert guidance about treatment, including mental medications.

As for Mary, we evaluated the data – the doctor and the patient – and together I made an enlightened decision weighing the risks and benefits to start SSRI with treatment. Its mood and anxiety improved, and had a safe delivery. Both the mother and the child flourish.

• Dr. Sunny Patel is a psychiatrist at the Georgetown Town Center for Children, Families and Communities. He recently occupied as a senior consultant in the Department of Narcotics and Mental Health Services