Research Studies and Info

Andersson, A., Garcia-Argibay, M., Viktorin, A., Ghirardi, L., Butwicka, A., Skoglund, C., ... & Larsson, H. (2023). Depression and anxiety disorders during the postpartum period in women diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders, 325. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2023.01.069

Citation: Russell, D. J., et al. (2024). Investigating maternal and neonatal health outcomes associated with continuing or ceasing dexamphetamine treatment for women with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder during pregnancy: A retrospective cohort study. Archives of Women's Mental Health. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-024-01450-4

In simpler terms, this study looked at whether it is safe for pregnant women with ADHD to keep taking their dexamphetamine medication. The findings suggest that while continuing the medication doesn't significantly increase the risk of problems for the mother or baby, those who stopped the medication before getting pregnant had even lower risks of certain complications. However, stopping the medication was linked to a higher chance of early pregnancy bleeding. Deciding whether to continue ADHD medication during pregnancy is a complex issue that requires careful consideration of the benefits and risks, tailored to each individual's situation.

Depression and Anxiety in Women with ADHD after Giving Birth

Researchers wanted to understand how ADHD relates to depression and anxiety in the postpartum period.
They used data from Swedish registers to identify women who gave birth between 2005 and 2013.
Among the women with ADHD, 16.76% were diagnosed with depression disorders after giving birth, and 24.92% were diagnosed with anxiety disorders.
Having ADHD increases the risk of both depression and anxiety disorders after giving birth, even when considering other risk factors.
The study suggests that ADHD should be considered in maternal care, regardless of other factors or the presence of other psychiatric disorders.

[1]

Were these rates higher than average?

The study found that women with ADHD had higher rates of depression disorders (16.76%) and anxiety disorders (24.92%) in the postpartum period compared to women without ADHD [1].
These rates were significantly higher than the average rates of depression and anxiety disorders in the general population of women after giving birth.
The study suggests that ADHD is an important risk factor for postpartum depression and anxiety, indicating that women with ADHD may be more vulnerable to these mental health conditions during the postpartum period.
However, it is important to note that the study focused specifically on women with ADHD, so the comparison to average rates in the general population was not explicitly provided in the sources.
Further research may be needed to directly compare the rates of postpartum depression and anxiety in women with ADHD to the average rates in the general population.