SIGN (Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network) are the main producer of clinical practice guidelines in Scotland. They have produced a wide range of guidelines relevant to mental health over the years including publications on perinatal mood disorders and the non-pharmaceutical management of depression. They have also been widely praised for their excellent mobile apps, the first [read the full story…]
People who take psychiatric drugs are well aware of the daily trade-off between the benefits and the harms of their medication. This is a key consideration for pregnant women with depression, who don’t just have to consider the side effects that may strike them, but also the impact they may have on their unborn child. [read the full story…]
We know that it can take many years for people with bipolar disorder to be accurately diagnosed, following an initial episode of mental illness. This cohort study carried out by researchers from Denmark, the US and Wales, set out to study to what extent psychiatric disorders with postpartum onset (following childbirth) are early manifestations of [read the full story…]
The world’s largest, most comprehensive systematic review into the mental health outcomes of induced abortion has been published by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. The review concludes that having an abortion does not increase the risk of mental health problems. The best current evidence suggests that it makes no difference to a woman’s mental [read the full story…]
Mutans streptococci (mutans) have an important role in dental caries. Individuals having high levels of these organisms being considered to be a higher risk of disease. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a prenatal nutrition intervention to reduce sugar intake and mutans in low-income women. Pregnant women ≥18 years of [read the full story…]
Depression commonly occurs during pregnancy and it’s often a challenging condition to treat as the health of the mother has to be balanced with the potential risks that can be caused to the foetus by antidepressant drugs. Pilot trials have previously shown that light therapy may be a safe and effective treatment in this population, [read the full story…]
Whilst there is a developing literature relating to attitudes to sexuality in people with learning disabilities, there is very little in the published literature about their reproductive health. The researchers in this study set out to look at the attitudes of caregivers and to look in more detail at what things determine gynaecological health in [read the full story…]
The latest critical summary from the ADA Centre for Evidence-based dentistry looks at a systematic review and meta-analysis of obstetric outcomes after periodontal treatment that was first published in 2010 in the British Medical Journal. A number of studies have associated periodontal disease with adverse obstetric outcomes ( pre term, low birth weight,etc) The aim [read the full story…]
Substance use during pregnancy is common. In national prevalence surveys, 14% of Canadian women reported using alcohol during their last pregnancy, and 17% reported smoking during pregnancy. The prevalence of illicit drug use among Canadian women of childbearing age is less but not insignificant. In United States population surveys, around 5% of pregnant women reported [read the full story…]
We know very little about how to increase the safety and wellbeing of mothers who experience intimate partner violence. A good deal of the research in this field focuses on treatments delivered by health professionals, but this cluster randomised trial from Melbourne Australia looked at the impact that non-professional mentor support can have in reducing [read the full story…]
