Prescribing of Psychiatric Medication to Bereaved Parents Following Perinatal/Neonatal Death: An Observational Study

Abstract

To examine psychiatric prescribing in response to perinatal/neonatal death, we analyzed data from a cross-sectional survey of 235 bereaved parents participating in an online support community. Of the 88 respondents prescribed medication, antidepressants were most common (n = 70, 79.5%) followed by benzodiazepines/sleep aids (n = 18, 20.5%). Many prescriptions were written shortly after the death (32.2% within 48 hr, 43.7% within a week, and 74.7% within a month). Obstetrician/gynecologists wrote most prescriptions given shortly after loss. Most respondents prescribed antidepressants took them long-term. This sample is select, but these data raise disturbing questions about prescribing practices for grieving parents.

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the important contributions of Cynthia A. Lietz to the design and data collection phases of this study. We thank the many bereaved parents who took the time to participate in this study and share their experiences.

Notes

Note: Numbers in superscript represent the number of cases in each cell that were diagnosed with anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, or multiple diagnoses at the time of loss. BZ = benzodiazepine; OB/GYN = obstetrician/gynecologist; PC = primary care; Psych = psychiatrist. Numbers of prescriptions in boldface were written <4 weeks postloss. One case had missing data.

^a Represents 12 prescriptions for BZs, two for zolpidem, two for “other sedative,” and one for trazadone.

^b Represents one cardiologist and one neurologist.

Note: Two cases had missing data on these variables, thus these frequencies do not sum to 100%. BZ = benzodiazepine; AD = antidepressant.