Women’s Mental Health Center

Research Areas

Our work in women’s mental health has real-world implications for women and their families. We focus on four major areas:

Severe Mental Illness in Women
Using epidemiologic research methods, we study severe mental illness in the perinatal period. Women with bipolar disorder are at especially high risk for difficulties during this period. Specifically, we focus on genetic, immunologic, and endocrine pathways after delivery, given that women have a highly increased risk of severe psychiatric episodes shortly after giving birth.

Psychotropic Medication for Women
Our scientific studies have provided critical guidance for patients and clinicians to make joint decisions about starting, continuing, and stopping medication. We investigate overprescription, as well as undertreatment. Our research includes clinical cohort studies, register-based studies, and multisite clinical trials.

Psychoneuroimmunology in Women
We are studying how to best measure maternal immune activation in women during pregnancy and the effect of this condition on obstetric complications and maternal mental health. Moreover, we look at the effect of maternal immune activation during pregnancy on the mental health of the child.

Transgenerational Psychiatry
Psychiatric disorders in mothers can affect the child’s mental and physical development. Our work aims to disentangle maternal versus paternal genetic risks and consider environmental effects. We are investigating how in utero exposure to medication affects neurodevelopment in children. We also look at genetic risk. In addition, we are investigating the effects of maternal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, air pollution, and other environmental factors on children’s mental health.