The "depression" in you may get manifested in your child in the form of autism. But there is no direct route to establish a relation between the two conditions. In your attempt to "tame" your depression, you may be taking doses of SSRIs or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors without ever realizing that this step will actually make you give birth to an autistic child.
Researchers at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California examined the medical data of more than 1,600 children. Of them, 298 kids were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. They noted that women, who consumed this type of antidepressant in the year before giving birth, were at a greater of delivering babies with this disorder.
The intake of these medications during the first trimester raised this risk to almost four times. But experts in the field have also stressed the importance of these medications in promoting the mental health of a depressed mum-to-be. They opine that the benefits should be evaluated against the risks.
Studies conducted in the past have blamed genetic factors. Studies conducted on 192 sets of twins by researchers at the Stanford School of Medicine found that one had autism while the other did not. This led them to believe that it's not only heredity, but also environment that plays a crucial role.
We are now waiting to find out more about the genetic as well as environmental factors that may share accountability as autism causes. We are also interested to note some probable interactions between these two causes. Till that time, the causal debate may continue, encouraging more research works and informal table talks with hot cups of evening tea.
