{"id":20928,"date":"2025-01-22T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-22T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ices.on.ca\/?post_type=news_release&p=20928"},"modified":"2025-01-24T14:06:33","modified_gmt":"2025-01-24T19:06:33","slug":"multiple-sclerosis-linked-to-higher-risk-of-mental-illness-during-and-after-pregnancy","status":"publish","type":"news_release","link":"https:\/\/www.ices.on.ca\/fr\/news-releases\/multiple-sclerosis-linked-to-higher-risk-of-mental-illness-during-and-after-pregnancy\/","title":{"rendered":"Multiple sclerosis linked to higher risk of mental illness during and after pregnancy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Toronto, ON, January 22, 2025<\/span><\/b> \u2013<\/span> People with multiple sclerosis (MS) face a significantly higher risk of perinatal mental illness compared to those with other chronic conditions, according to a new study analyzing over 890,000 births in Ontario.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The research, published online in <\/span>Neurology<\/span><\/i>, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, sheds light on the mental health challenges faced by people with MS during pregnancy and the first year after childbirth. Using population-based health data from ICES, the study found that 8% of people with MS experienced a new mental illness during pregnancy, rising to 14% in the first year postpartum. Depression and anxiety were the most common conditions reported.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The study compared mental health outcomes among those assigned female at birth with MS (close to 1,700) to females with epilepsy, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, and people without these chronic conditions. The researchers analyzed mental illness before conception, during pregnancy, and up to three years after giving birth.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The first year after childbirth was found to be a particularly vulnerable period, with people with MS being 33% more likely to experience a mental illness than people without MS or another of the studied chronic diseases. Overall, half of people with MS were living with a mental illness in the first year postpartum.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00ab\u00a0Our findings highlight the heightened vulnerability of mothers with MS to mental illness, emphasizing the need for mental health screening and early intervention, including the use of preventive strategies\u00a0\u00bb says lead author Dr. Ruth Ann Marrie, a Professor of Medicine and Multiple Sclerosis Clinical Research Chair at Dalhousie University.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Key findings:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n