Antidepressant and mental health care utilization in pregnant women with depression and/or anxiety: An interrupted time-series analysis

Background: Little is known about mental health care utilization patterns in pregnant women with depression/ anxiety in Norway according to antidepressant fill trajectories in pregnancy.Method: We conducted a registry-linkage cohort study of pregnancies within women having outpatient visit for depression/anxiety and antidepressant fills prior to pregnancy identified from four national registries of Norway (2009-2018). Number of consultations for depression/anxiety per 100 pregnancies as proxy of mental health care utilization was modelled using interrupted time-series analysis with first month into pregnancy and first month after delivery as interruption points. We investigated the time window spanning from six months prior to one year postpartum. Antidepressant fill trajectories in the corresponding time window were identified using longitudinal k-means trajectory modelling.Results: The cohort included 8460 pregnancies within 8062 women with depression/anxiety. We observed reduced mental health care utilization when pregnant women entered the course of pregnancy (negative slopes during pregnancy for psychiatric specialists and psychologists). The declines were observed for all antidepressant fill trajectories (i.e., discontinuers and continuers) except interrupters (i.e., discontinued then resumed treatment). We found increased mental health care utilization in the postpartum year, notably in interrupters (positive slopes in consultation rates with specialists of outpatient clinics and public-contracted psychiatrists).Limitations: It was not possible to measure directly the use of psychosocial interventions and psychotherapy.Conclusions: Pregnancy was associated with reduced mental health care utilization regardless of whether antidepressant treatment was maintained during pregnancy or not. Increases in mental health care utilization were observed in the postpartum year, especially in interrupters.

Automated summary

The study found that mental health care utilization decreased in pregnant women with depression/anxiety in Norway, especially for those receiving antidepressant treatment. However, there was an increase in mental health care utilization in the postpartum year.