October 1, 2026, 11:53 am | Read time: 5 minutes
What does it mean for a child if the mother takes antidepressants during pregnancy? This question is particularly challenging for affected women–as untreated depression can also have consequences. A new study involving more than 167,000 children has now examined how depression and antidepressants during pregnancy might be linked to the children’s later development. It made an important discovery.
Mother’s Depression Linked to Higher Special Needs
For children whose mothers had neither a documented depression nor received antidepressants, the calculated proportion with special needs was about 20 percent.
If the mother had depression but did not take antidepressants, it was around 24 percent. When the depression was treated with antidepressants, the proportion was about 27 percent. This reveals an important finding: Even depression without antidepressants was associated with higher special needs. With antidepressant treatment, the rate was slightly higher.
For children whose mothers received antidepressants without a documented depression, the calculated proportion was also around 26 percent.
This group is, however, difficult to categorize. According to the authors, it could include women with an undocumented depression or anxiety disorder. Some antidepressants are also used for other complaints. Therefore, the higher rate cannot be conclusively attributed to the medications.
How the Study Was Conducted
The authors aimed to find out whether maternal depression and antidepressants around pregnancy were linked to the child’s later development. The focus was on whether the children later required special support in school–such as for learning or language problems, behavioral issues, autism, and physical or medical limitations. The authors also examined ADHD.
For the study, the authors analyzed data from 167,447 children born in Wales between 2009 and 2016. They linked health, birth, and school data. The children were tracked until 2022, with the oldest reaching up to 12 years old.1
12,630 children had mothers with a documented depression who did not receive antidepressants. For 7,005 children, the mother had depression and received antidepressants. Another 5,996 children had mothers who were prescribed antidepressants without a documented depression in the analyzed data.
Contact with antidepressants was defined as at least one prescription during pregnancy or up to one month before conception. A depression was considered if it was documented in the general practitioner’s data within two years before birth.
In their calculations, the authors considered factors such as the mother’s age and smoking habits, as well as the child’s age, gender, ethnicity, and social disadvantage.
What Previous Studies Showed
Previous studies have reached different conclusions about whether antidepressants during pregnancy are linked to later developmental problems.2,3
At the same time, the mother’s depression itself can also play a role.4 The new study was therefore intended to help better distinguish the influence of the illness from that of the medications.
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What Was Found Regarding Autism and ADHD?
The authors also examined individual developmental problems. Both maternal depression and antidepressants were associated with autism, ADHD, and behavioral, emotional, and social difficulties. These are initially statistical correlations.
Therefore, the direct comparison between treated and untreated depression is insightful. For autism and ADHD, there was no statistically significant difference in absolute risks between these two groups.
For ADHD, the authors also calculated how often a diagnosis would occur by age 12. For both treated depression and antidepressants without documented depression, this rate was just under four percent. This does not imply that antidepressants cause ADHD.
Does It Matter Which Antidepressant Was Taken?
SSRIs were the most commonly prescribed. These medications affect the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain and accounted for about 83 percent of antidepressant prescriptions. Overall, the authors found no group of antidepressants clearly linked to a significantly higher or lower need for special support.
There were differences with tricyclic antidepressants and SNRIs. However, these medications were used much less frequently, making the results less precise. They might also have been used more often for more severe or harder-to-treat depressions. Therefore, it remains unclear whether potential differences were due to the medications themselves or the severity of the illness.
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Does This Mean Antidepressants Harm the Child?
The study cannot answer that. It is an observational study. It can show correlations but cannot prove that antidepressants cause later special needs, autism, or ADHD.
A Crucial Point Remained Unknown
The authors did not know how severe the depression of the individual women was. Women who needed antidepressants might have been more severely affected on average than those who did not receive medication. Part of the differences could therefore be related to a more severe depression or other associated factors–and not the medications themselves.
The authors still consider a small additional link with the medications possible.
Study Context
Despite the extensive data, significant uncertainties remain. Information on alcohol and illegal drug use was missing. Postpartum depression and paternal depression could not be considered. There was also insufficient information on breastfeeding.
The authors could determine whether antidepressants were prescribed. Whether the women actually took the medications could not be reliably inferred. It also remained unclear whether a previously documented depression persisted during pregnancy.
Additionally, the subjects were predominantly white, and there were no data on the mothers’ own ADHD or autism diagnoses. Therefore, the results may not be easily applicable to other population groups.
Furthermore, the study authors refer to sibling studies from other research: When comparing children of the same mother, the statistical link between antidepressants and developmental disorders usually largely disappears. This strongly suggests that primarily genetic and familial factors explain the risk.
The authors stated they had no conflicts of interest, and the funders reportedly had no influence on the study’s conduct, analysis, or publication.