Anti-depressants during pregnancy: Pregnant patients who stopped taking prescribed antidepressants during pregnancy were nearly twice as likely to experience a mental health emergency compared with those who continued treatment, according to new research presented at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) 2026 Pregnancy Meeting.
The study analysed de-identified insurance records for 3,983 patients who gave birth between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2024. All had a diagnosis of depression and/or anxiety before pregnancy and an active prescription for an SSRI or SNRI in the three months before pregnancy.
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Researchers found no meaningful difference between groups in mental health-related outpatient or emergency visits before pregnancy. During pregnancy, however, those who discontinued medication had an almost two-fold higher risk of a mental health emergency, including events such as suicide risk, substance overdose, or psychosis. Risk spikes were seen in the first and ninth months of pregnancy.
Clinicians say the findings add weight to calls for stronger perinatal mental health support and careful, individualised decision-making around treatment, particularly for patients with established anxiety or depression. SMFM has also emphasised that untreated or undertreated depression in pregnancy carries real risks, and that medication decisions should balance benefits and potential harms on a case-by-case basis.
