Risk of autism increases with maternal depression, but not SSRI use: study

Women with depression and other mood disorders are generally advised to continue taking antidepressant medications during pregnancy. The drugs are widely considered safe, but the effect of these medications on the unborn fetus has remained a topic of some concern. Now, researchers have found that maternal psychiatric conditions—but not the use of serotonin-selective reuptake inhibitors (SSRI)—increased the risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and developmental delay (DD) in offspring.