Study: ADHD Increases Risk for Postpartum Depression, Anxiety

additudemag.com:

April 14, 2023ADHD increases the likelihood of postpartum depression (PPD) and postpartum anxiety in more significant and impactful ways than do other well-established risks like comorbid psychiatric disorders or sociodemographic factors in women, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

1The research found that 25% of women with ADHD had postpartum anxiety, compared to 4.61% of women without ADHD. In addition, almost 17% of women with ADHD had PPD, compared to 3.3% without ADHD.“ADHD is an important risk factor for depression and anxiety disorders postpartum,” the researchers wrote. “Therefore, ADHD needs to be considered in maternal care, regardless of sociodemographic factors and other psychiatric disorders.”Using population-based registers from Sweden, the researchers identified 773,047 women who gave birth to their first or second child between 2005-2013.

Of that number, 3,515 had received an ADHD diagnosis before their pregnancy. They also analyzed data on women’s depression and anxiety diagnoses before pregnancy, maternal age at delivery, highest achieved maternal education at childbirth, cohabitation status with their child’s father, and family history of depression and anxiety disorders.The study found that the risk of PPD and postpartum anxiety was lower for women diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder before pregnancy and those with a history or family history of depression or anxiety.