Psychiatric disorders in pregnancy

This article reviews the course and treatment of psychiatric illness during pregnancy with particular emphasis on the potential impact of psychiatric illness on obstetric outcome. The decision to initiate or continue psychopharmacological treatment during gestation can generate considerable anxiety as the clinician weighs the risk of intervention against those of untreated maternal illness. Treatment guidelines are proposed to minimize the potential for harmful fetal exposure, be it to psychotropic medication or untreated maternal psychiatric illness, during gestation.