London - Antidepressants prescribed to pregnant women could be fuelling the rise in children suffering from hyperactivity, research suggests.
Scientists found the chances of a child developing ADHD, or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, increased if their mother had been prescribed pills for depression during pregnancy.
The research, conducted by doctors at the Massachusetts General Hospital in the US, looked at 7 800 children aged between two and 19.
It found that those who had been exposed to antidepressants in the womb were more likely to have ADHD, a condition linked to impulsiveness and restlessness.
If the mother had stopped taking the drugs before she became pregnant, however, the risk of ADHD was significantly reduced, it found.
Around one in seven women suffer depression during pregnancy.
An estimated 20 000 pregnant British women a year take antidepressants – around four percent of all pregnancies.
The NHS advises that doctors only prescribe the drugs to expectant mothers if the risk of the depression is higher than the risk of any harm caused by the medicine. ADHD is rising rapidly in the UK. Prescriptions for medicine to treat the condition soared from 92 100 in 1997 to 786 400 in 2012, NHS figures show.
Some doctors think the figures are partly explained by a greater awareness of the condition, but the US study may suggest a link to the drugs taken by mothers.
The researchers looked at 2 200 children with ADHD and 5 600 healthy children. They found a “modest risk” of increased chance of ADHD in children whose mothers had been prescribed antidepressants during pregnancy.
However, writing in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, the authors warned the risk of ADHD had to be balanced by the dangers of depression.
They added: “Maternal depression during pregnancy is associated with health complications for both the mother and child. Discontinuation of antidepressants during pregnancy can increase the risk of relapse fivefold.”
The study also found there was no heightened risk of a child having autism if a pregnant mother had taken antidepressants, disproving previous beliefs that the drugs were linked to the disorder. Roy Perlis, who led the research, said the findings should not dissuade mothers-to-be from taking the prescribed medication.
The end to speculation about the link to autism was particularly significant, he added. Dr Perlis said: “We know that untreated depression can pose serious health risks to both a mother and child, so it’s important women know these medications will not increase their child’s risk of autism.”
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence advises that antidepressants are not recommended for most pregnant women, especially during the early stages of pregnancy. But it says exceptions can be made depending on the severity of the depression. If a woman is already depressed, withdrawing treatment could make it far worse.
Experts welcomed the study, but said much more research is needed.
Dr Celso Arango, scientific director of the Spanish Centre for Biomedical Research in Mental Health, said: “It is not clear how big the effect of antidepressant use is. Certainly it is minimal compared with genetic factors.
“From the child’s perspective it is likely potential harm caused by any increased risk of ADHD or autism would be much less than the potential harm of having a mother suffering from depression.” - Daily Mail