In December 2014 the long waited update of CG45 was published. The major significant  points are

• a recognition about the uncertainty of the effect of treatment with medication in pregnant and breastfeeding women.
• acknowledgement that psychological help should be offered as an alternative or in conjunction with medication as the threshold for using psychotropic drugs to control anxiety and or depression is very much higher in pregnancy and in breast feeding.

This is a challenge since access to prompt psychological help in the NHS is limited and mostly does not take into consideration the very specific issues of emotional wellbeing in pregnancy and the postnatal period. To see the whole or shortened version click the link below.

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg192

To see what services should provide click the link below

http://pathways.nice.org.uk/pathways/antenatal-and-postnatal-mental-health

To read about women’s opinions click on

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/dec/09/better-care-urged-pregnant-women-mental-health-problems-study

Falling through the cracks