Susan Hatters Friedman, MD Associate Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH Ryan C. W. Hall, MD Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Medical Education, University of Central Florida College of Medicine, Adjunct Faculty Member, Barry University Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law, Orlando, FL, Affiliate Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Many women become pregnant while being treated for depression. Approximately one-half of all pregnancies are unplanned, so women using antidepressants may unknowingly expose their fetus to medication.30 For this reason, it is important to discuss potential pregnancy and birth control concerns with all women of childbearing age before initiating pharmacotherapy.31 If an unintended pregnancy occurs, tell your patient to contact you before stopping any medications. Lawsuits also can occur because of wrongful death by suicide or infanticide because of lack of treatment; risk of untreated illness should not be treated lightly.
The authors report no financial relationship with any company whose products are mentioned in this article or with manufacturers of competing products.
Acknowledgments
The authors appreciate suggestions on prior versions of the manuscript from Miriam Rosenthal, Jaina Amin, Sarah Nagle-Yang, Sonal Moratschek, J.P. Shand, and Scott R. Miller.
