Here's Why You Shouldn't Take Antidepressants During Pregnancy?

Mothers who opted for anti-depressants during their pregnancy may have put their children at a risk of autism according to a new study. According to researchers, the children of mothers who took the anti-depressants pills during their pregnancy, had an increased chance of 41 percent of being susceptible to autism. This connection between the pills and autism has been made before, but those researches have turned out to be inconclusive. To solve this problem, scientists at the University of Bristol evaluated medical records for a quarter of a million individuals aged four to 17 living in Sweden from 2001 to 2011. Among which, 5400 had been diagnosed with autism.

"Children exposed to antidepressants during pregnancy seemed to be at a higher risk of autism, particularly autism without intellectual disability, than children of mothers with psychiatric disorders who were not treated with antidepressants during pregnancy" spoke a researcher.

Autism, or autism spectrum disorder, refers to a range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviours, speech and nonverbal communication, as well as by unique strengths and differences.

Even if the relation between the pills and autism is casual, it cannot be easily ignored. Prof Ian Jones, Professor of Psychiatry and Director of National Centre for Mental Health, Cardiff University, said: "It is possible that the higher risk of autism is due to the medication, but it may also be due to the effects of the mood disorder for which the medication has been prescribed."

Another researcher chimed in with the same opinion, "It is possible that factors other than antidepressants explain the relationship seen with autism. In other words, this study raises important questions but does not prove that antidepressants cause autism."

Also read: Fever During Pregnancy Might Elevate The Risk Of Autism In Children