[Depression in pregnancy: focus on the safety of antidepressant drugs.]

Antepartum depression, frequently in comorbidity with anxiety disorders, is a severe psychopathological condition frequently reported in pregnancy and in many cases associated with obstetric and neonatal complications and potential negative consequences on child neurodevelopment. However, the pharmacological treatment of depression, during pregnancy generates a lot of concerns about the risks of such treatment for the fetus development and the neonatal health. The aim of this review is to present a selection of the latest international literature including recent original studies, systematic reviews, meta-analyses and recommendations from the guidelines, both on the risks of an untreated depressive disorders and on the risk of antidepressant therapy during gestation with drugs belonging to the SSRI and SNRI (SRI) class. An updated information of the recent risk-benefit data of these drug treatments in women with affective disorders in pregnancy may actually enable better and more conscious management of these disorders, not only for those working in the mental health field but also for general practitioners and those of other medical specialties.