ArticleArchives of women's mental health2023
Experiences of decision making about psychotropic medication during pregnancy and breastfeeding in women living with severe mental illness: a qualitative study.
Article in Archives of women's mental health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The effect of medication use on breastfeeding continuation: a systematic review with narrative synthesis.International breastfeeding journal · 2025Pooled it
- Breastfeeding experiences of women with perinatal mental health problems: a systematic review and thematic synthesis.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2024Pooled it
- Respectful Maternal Care Experience in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2023Pooled it
- Article
- "Bad timing for illness relapse!" Mood symptoms, challenges and strategies for wellbeing in the first year postpartum among infant mothers with bipolar disorder: a mixed-methods study.International journal of bipolar disorders · 2025Article
- Mental illness stigma among perinatal women in low- and middle-income countries: early career psychiatrists' perspective.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeThe aim of this study was to explore the experiences of women living with severe mental illnesses making decisions about psychotropic medication use in pregnancy and breastfeeding, and what helped or hindered the decision-making process.
methodsWe report on a qualitative study from 12 women who attended the pregnancy service between May 2018 and June 2019. Interviews occurred at 4-6 weeks postpartum on women with severe mental illnesses, which was nested within a larger mixed-methods study.
resultsThree main themes were elicited from the participants' transcriptions and included (i) the decision-making process with subthemes of shared decision-making, consistency and complete care, collaboration and clear communication, and challenges of managing medication; (ii) how information is given, with subthemes of information delivery and communication breakdown; and (iii) breastfeeding dilemmas with subthemes of lithium and breastfeeding choice and autonomy regarding breastfeeding on medication.
conclusionFindings offer understanding of patients' experiences in the decision-making and use of psychotropic medication during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Women living with severe mental illnesses, such as bipolar and psychosis, face difficult medication decisions due to uncertainty around use in pregnancy, potentially causing conflict with their dual role as both persons with a diagnosed mental illness but also new mothers. The clinician needs to provide comprehensible and concise information, giving space for a woman's voice to be heard to guide them from a position of hesitancy to one of assurance. Collaboration within a multidisciplinary team and external care providers combined with consistency of care assists this process.
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