These researchers concluded that the risk was far less than had been thought. They reevaluated four more recent studies, involving a total of 207 children with Ebstein's anomaly. None of the mothers had taken lithium. Based on these results, Cohen's team suggests that some pregnant women with severe manic-depressive illness might be able to continue lithium treatment without great risk to the fetus. The researchers suggest that obstetricians take these revised risks into account when determining whether a specific woman should continue using lithium during pregnancy.
Treatment can radically improve the life of a person suffering from manic-depressive illness.
One of the most frustrating aspects of this disorder, patients say, is the delay until they are diagnosed. Finding an effective treatment is an enormous relief, to them and their families. When I was younger, an allergist said it was attention deficit disorder, so I was put on Ritalin to treat that. But when I became a teenager, in the eighth grade, I became suicidal. This past February, I just couldn't deal with it.