Watchdog Urges OBGYN Conference Members to Cut the Umbilical Cord to Psychiatry, Warns That Antidepressants to Pregnant Mothers Can Cause Infant Birth Defects and Side Effects
BOSTON, March 30, 2018 (Newswire.com) - BOSTON, March 30, 2018 - Citizens Commission on Human Rights New England passed out information on birth defects from antidepressants to attendees of a large Boston OBGYN conference recently to warn that allowing pregnant mothers to be prescribed psychotropic drugs means that the children in their wombs are being similarly prescribed and may be born with birth defects, including a specific brain malformation.
The main information being passed out was regarding a study titled "Rate of Chiari I malformation in children of mothers with depression with and without prenatal SSRI exposure," wherein 18% of the children with mothers on SSRI antidepressants were found to have this serious birth defect as opposed to only 2% of the children from mothers who were not taking antidepressants while pregnant. SSRI antidepressants are the newer antidepressants that were first created in the early 1990s.
Chiari 1 brain malformation is a condition in which the bottom of the brain grows into the top of the spinal canal. In some people, it isn't noticed, while others may experience extreme negative effects such as constant headaches, neck pains, vision disturbances, balance problems and weakness.
"It is easy to label the usual hormonal changes in women during pregnancy as depression, but when you do, it can needlessly harm defenseless unborn children for life with antidepressants where nearly one-fifth of them may be born with Chiari I brain malformation," said Kevin Hall, New England director of Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR).
A quick internet search shows that there are several class action suits against antidepressant manufacturers for causing birth defects. When looking on the psychiatric drug side effect studies blog PsychiatryDrugs.wordpress.com under the antidepressant section, there are studies showing the following potential birth defects from antidepressants: Chiari I brain malformation, increased risk of autism by 87%, language disorders, infant heart defects and speech, scholastic and motor disorders.
"It makes no sense to risk putting an unborn child on a mind-altering drug and that is the message we want OBGYNs to have so they can fight back against those who may want to prescribe to the pregnant mother," said Christopher Garrison, author and CCHR volunteer. CCHR was established in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and psychiatrist Thomas Szasz to investigate and expose psychiatric violations of human rights.
