Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Other Neurodevelopmental Outcomes Associated With Antipsychotic Drug Exposure During Pregnancy

Between 0.3%-4.6% of women use antipsychotic (AP) drugs during pregnancy. Two large, retrospective, population-based cohort studies, conducted in Nordic countries and in the US, examined the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) following gestational exposure to APs. The Nordic study found that, in unadjusted analyses, exposure to APs during pregnancy was associated with increased risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in offspring; that the risk all but disappeared after adjusting for covariates; and that the risk appeared to be related to maternal major mental illness rather than to gestational exposure to APs. The US study also found that, in unadjusted analyses, gestational exposure to APs was associated with an increased risk of almost all of the study-specified NDDs in offspring; however, after adjusting for covariates, the risks were no longer meaningfully increased and, importantly, were no longer statistically significant for ADHD and ASD. Thus, these 2 studies suggest that gestational exposure to APs is a marker of NDD risk in offspring rather than a potential cause. Whereas a small but significantly increased risk was identified for aripiprazole in the US study, the signal was inconsistent across analyses, and confounding due to maternal mental illness was not ruled out. Previous studies have suggested that the use of APs during pregnancy is not associated with an increased risk of major congenital malformations and other adverse gestational outcomes. Considering the potential harm and suffering associated with major mental illness and the very low risks associated with AP use during pregnancy, initiation or continuation of APs appears to carry a favorable risk-benefit ratio in pregnant women who need these drugs; however, decision-making should be shared between patients, their caregivers, and the treating team.