Depression, Graduate Students, and Why I Write
Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei of Genetics and Health interviewed me for her weekly column Genetics Interview and the interview has been published on her blog. I answered questions about depression and graduate students (question 4) and patient empowerment (question 5) as well as my early start on the web. If you’re curious about how I got started on the web, the different projects I’m involved in, and why I have been so open about my experiences with depression, please check out Dr. Lei’s column.
(P.S. don’t forget to Submit Your Article Now for the First Edition of my new Depression and Bipolar Disorder Blog Carnival!)
Treating Depression in Pregnant Women
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a Public Health Advisory on treating depression in pregnant women, because doctors and moms-to-be have to weigh the risks and benefits of antidepressants during pregnancy.
A risk of stopping antidepressants for a patient suffering from depression and taking depression medication is that the patient may experience a relapse. Earlier this year, researchers studied pregnant women who stopped taking their antidepressant medication during pregnancy and pregnant women who continued taking their antidepressant medication during pregnancy. Women who stopped their meds were 5 times more likely to suffer from depression relapse than women who continued antidepressants during pregnancy.
Another study suggested potential risks from SSRI class of antidepressants taken during pregnancy. Pregnant women who took antidepressants during pregnancy gave birth to babies that were 6 times more likely to suffer from a condition called persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN). This is a serious and life-threatening lung condition where the blood pressure of the babies’ lungs are very high and cannot get enough oxygen into their blood. The caveat is that this is a small study and additional studies have not yet been conducted to confirm the findings of this study. Late last year, the labeling for paroxetine (Paxil or Seroxat) was changed to reflect findings that use of this drug during the first trimester may be linked to increased risk of heart birth defects.
The FDA is advising that pregnant women on antidepressants should not stop taking their medication without first seeing their doctor, and weighing carefully the risks and benefits of continuing medication treatment during pregnancy.
“Low-Grade” Depression - This Too, Shall Pass
I’m feeling the funk lately, like a storm cloud hovering just above my head. We’ve had some thunderstorms in California. Maybe my mood is mirroring the unpredictable weather - though I don’t think my mood’s linked with the weather.
I’ve had depression relapses, and I know how severe those can be. I’ve had one a few years ago, and I felt like I had an “emotional flu” for months. Although this is not a depression relapse, it’s like a mini-depression that lasts about a week, and starts with a low and heavy feeling in my heart. Physically, I feel fine, other than the low and heavy feeling in my heart.
When I get feelings like this, I know my mind is affected the most. My mind turns into a black hole: good feelings and joy and enthusiasm are sapped in and don’t come out. Other feelings I experience included frustration and irritation, followed by apathy. Even when good things were happening - seeing a butterfly resting on the balcony, watching a squirrel sauntering across our porch like it owned the place, and getting flowers from my husband - the joy were fleeting. For the most part, my mind repeated, “What’s the point?”
With years of observation and practice, I’ve come to recognize these symptoms, and I label this my “low-grade” depression. I could do my work and carry on as if nothing is happening, because the symptoms aren’t physical. I know I would be playing the waiting game, and sometimes this passes in a couple of days, sometimes after a week. But I know that no matter how long this time takes, it too, shall pass.
P.S. The butterfly is back and it made me smile 