Antidepressants Double Autism Risk

Although the causes of autism are not fully understood, a University of Montreal review of more than 145,000 pregnancies found that antidepressants can play a major role. “Our study has established that taking antidepressants during the second or third trimester of pregnancy almost doubles the risk that the child will be diagnosed with autism by age 7, especially if the mother takes selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, often known by its acronym, SSRIs,” says Anick Bérard, PhD, co-author of the study, which was published in JAMA Pediatrics.