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 Research & Giving News Article  Many women suffering from psychiatric disorders go on to have children, and countless other women with no previous diagnosis develop a mental illness either during pregnancy or after giving birth. This gives rise to urgent questions about the effects of a mother’s disorder on her children. How do drug treatments impact on a developing fetus or nursing infant? What adverse effects might the disorder itself have on these babies – either biochemically for a developing fetus, or in terms of a mother’s ability to appropriately care for her child after birth? Mary Cannon, M.D., Ph.D., of King’s College London (NARSAD 2002 Independent Investigator), is conducting a study of the fetal growth and development of children of women with schizophrenia. Earlier studies have shown that infants born to women with schizophrenia have lower birth weights, and are at ten times the risk of the general population for developing the disorder later in life. Through her research, Dr. Cannon hopes to shed light on the earliest origins of schizophrenia, and reveal more about the mother-child connection of this disease. Also looking at conditions in-utero is D. Leonie Welberg, Ph.D., of Emory University (NARSAD 2003 Young Investigator), who is studying how prenatal stress can create a later vulnerability to affective disorders. The weeks and months after giving birth are widely recognized as a period during which many women suffer from depression, caused by hormonal swings and the major life transition into parenthood. At the mildest end of the spectrum are the “baby blues,” leaving new mothers feeling sad, anxious, afraid, or unexpectedly weepy. More severe is full-blown Postpartum Depression (PPD). A woman suffering from postpartum depression has feelings similar to the baby blues – sadness, anxiety, irritability – but she feels them much more intensely and with a greater sense of despair. PPD often affects a woman's ability to function and perform day-to-day tasks and, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, if left untreated can worsen and be long-lasting. Samet Kose, M.D., of the Medical University of South Carolina (NARSAD 2003 Young Investigator), is undertaking a novel study of women with PPD and their responsiveness to their infants. Previous studies have shown that certain regions of the brain are associated with mothers reacting to the cries of their young. Depression can alter these areas of the brain, and may be the reason that studies show depressed mothers responding less urgently to their crying babies than healthy mothers do. Dr. Kose intends to use fMRI brain imaging techniques to look at what actually happens in the brains of mothers – both healthy and those suffering from postpartum depression – when they hear the cry of an infant in need. Also studying postpartum depression is Eydie L. Moses-Kolko, M.D., of Magee Women’s Hospital, University of Pittsburgh (NARSAD 2003 Young Investigator), conducting an imaging study to better understand the fluctuations of brain hormones that occur during PPD. She hopes that her findings will help pave the way to better treatments for women’s depressive syndromes. The most serious of mental illnesses affecting new mothers is Postpartum Psychosis. With an onset often within the first three months after childbirth, women can lose touch with reality, experience auditory hallucinations (“hear voices”) and become delusional. In 2002, the Andrea Yates murder case tragically thrust this postpartum mental illness into the headlines; the fact that Ms. Yates’ antipsychotic medication had been discontinued figured prominently into the story. Bernard L. Harlow, Ph.D., of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard University (NARSAD 2003 Independent Investigator) is examining this very issue, conducting a study on postpartum psychosis in women with prior psychiatric hospitalizations. Dr. Harlow’s goal is to identify possible prenatal, obstetrical, or other lifestyle factors that can contribute to a heightened risk for postpartum psychosis. This knowledge could help obstetricians and psychiatrists recognize and more closely monitor pregnant women who are most in jeopardy of developing this dangerous mental health condition. While the risks associated with anti-depressant and anti-psychotic medications during pregnancy and nursing continue to be studied and hotly debated, some researchers are delving into treatments for pregnancy and postpartum depression that are not based on drugs at all. D. Jeffrey Newport, M.D., M.Div., of Emory University (NARSAD 2003 Young Investigator), is running a clinical trial using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to treat postpartum depression. TMS is a recently developed, non-medication treatment for depression, and is based on painlessly stimulating the cerebral cortex with time-varying magnetic fields. Also exploring a novel treatment approach is former NARSAD researcher Katherine Wisner, M.D., of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (previously of Case Western Reserve University and NARSAD 1998 Independent Investigator). Dr. Wisner seized upon the idea of trying light therapy – already used successfully for treating seasonal affective disorder (SAD) – to alleviate the suffering of women with depression during pregnancy. Dr. Wisner reports that the results to date have been truly compelling, with the number of patients responding to treatment – and the speed of their response – similar to drug studies. Even after the childbearing years, however, mental health challenges unique to women continue to arise. Further along in the life cycle, osteoporosis presents itself as a serious medical condition that can lead to bone loss and fractures. It is an area of concern for all women as they age, but disproportionately targets those suffering from bipolar disorder. Claudia F. Baldassano, M.D., of the University of Pennsylvania (NARSAD 2003 Young Investigator) seeks to better understand the connection between osteoporosis and bipolar, and has embarked upon a study aimed at assessing the risk of osteoporosis in bipolar women taking antiepileptic drugs. The disorder itself may increase women’s risk for osteoporosis, and the antiepileptic drugs widely administered to this population are associated with bone mineral loss. Through a controlled study, Dr. Baldassano aims to measure bone density loss in bipolar women treated with these drugs, compared with a group of healthy women. The results of this important work could impact on future treatment approaches for bipolar women. Also studying mental health issues of older women is Laura D. Baker, Ph.D., of the University of Washington (NARSAD 2002 Young Investigator). She will study the effects of estrogen on the response to stress in postmenopausal women. Recent studies have indicated that women’s stress response may be linked to the increased prevalence of certain conditions in women, such as depression. Dr. Baker believes that administering estrogen to postmenopausal women could negatively impact on their mood and ability to handle stress. Her findings may help illuminate conditions under which the benefits of estrogen therapy in older women may be outweighed by other factors. In times past, the scientific community often dismissed mental illnesses’ unique expressions in women; however, researchers today have made enormous strides in understanding the various biological and psychosocial factors that contribute to mental disorders in both men and women. Their increasingly focused investigations on areas specific to women only deepens this body of knowledge. With our continuing support of their research efforts, these tireless scientists will carry us forward into the next century of mental illness treatments and cures. |
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