2023/06/06 by Janet Currie, Esmée Zwiers · 1 voice · 1 citation
Medicine · #Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
paper · pdf · doi:10.3368/jhr.1021-11986r1
openalex publication_date 2023/06/06 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
<h3>Abstract</h3> We use data on over 420,000 first-time Dutch mothers to examine the effects of postpartum antidepressant use. Dutch general practitioners (GPs) must be available for house calls. We therefore instrument a woman’s receipt of antidepressants postpartum with local practitioners’ propensity to prescribe antidepressants to women 46 to 65. Ordinary least squares suggests negative effects of postpartum antidepressants but this is due to selection into treatment. Instrumental variables estimates indicate that the marginal treated patient is likely to continue taking antidepressants long term and is less likely to be employed in the year after birth, with little evidence of other effects.