Optimizing Pharmacotherapy for Depression during Pregnancy (OPTI-MOM)

Selection of the overarching theme for the Center, optimizing pharmacotherapy for pregnant women with depression, was driven by several public health priorities. The World Health Association has identified depression as the leading cause of disability worldwide for both men and women, but the burden of depression is higher for women(R ). Depression is the leading contributor to disease burden for women in both high-and low- to middle-income countries. Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most common complications of pregnancy, [Wisner JAMAPsych] with 7.5% of women having a new episode during the 9 months of pregnancy and 6.5% with an incident episode within the first 3 months postpartum[Gaynes, 20052]. Suicide accounts for 20% of deaths in postpartum women and is the second leading cause of mortality the year after birth[Lindahl, 2005].