April 2018: Footnotes and cautions have been added and amended by NICE to link to the MHRA's latest advice and resources on sodium valproate. Sodium valproate must not be used in pregnancy, and only used in girls and women when there is no alternative and a pregnancy prevention plan is in place. This is because of the risk of malformations and developmental abnormalities in the baby.
Antenatal and Postnatal Mental Health
Updated edition
NICE Clinical Guidelines, No. 192
Authors
National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health (UK).Excerpt
The guideline makes recommendations for the use of pharmacological, psychological and service-level interventions. It aims to:
- evaluate the role of specific pharmacological agents in the treatment and management mental health problems in pregnancy and the postnatal period
- evaluate the role of specific psychological interventions in the treatment and management of mental health problems in pregnancy and the postnatal period
- evaluate the role of specific service-delivery systems and service-level interventions in the management of mental health problems in pregnancy and the postnatal period
- to provide best-practice advice on the care of women with a mental health problem in pregnancy or the postnatal period through the different phases of illness, including the initiation of treatment, the treatment of acute episodes and the promotion of recovery
- consider economic aspects of various standard treatments of mental health problems in pregnancy and the postnatal period
- promote the implementation of best clinical practice through the development of recommendations tailored to the requirements of the NHS in England and Wales.
This guideline should be read in conjunction with ‘Service User Experience in Adult Mental Health’, NICE Clinical Guidance 136 and ‘Patient experience in adult NHS services’, NICE Clinical Guidance 138.