The Women’s Mental Health Center at Mount Sinai conducts research to discover new treatments and to improve and personalize those already available. If you are interested in participating in any of our projects listed below, please email womensmentalhealth@mssm.edu or call 212-659-1326 for more information.
Through our research, we strive to understand the mental health of women and children during the reproductive cycle. There are still many gaps in our understanding of reproductive psychiatry and our studies endeavor to fill in those knowledge gaps. To that end, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai offers T32 fellowship opportunities for clinicians interested in learning to do research in women's mental health.
Topics We Study
Our work in women’s mental health focuses on four major areas:
- Severe mental illness in women: 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. We use epidemiologic research methods.
- 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 also 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.
All of our research studies have real-world implications for women and their families.
Ongoing Research Studies
At the Women’s Mental Health Center, we conduct research so we can better understand reproductive psychiatry. We study women’s mental health at a variety of life stages. Some of our current studies are described below. If you are interested in any of these studies, and qualify to participate, you can use our online application.
Before Delivery
Mother and infant antipsychotic study (R01 HD111117)
Principal Investigator: Thalia Robakis, MD, PhD
This study compares efficacy and outcomes for mothers and infants treated with antipsychotic medications compared with other agents or no medication. The study will not change participants’ treatment, but will compare outcomes among individuals who select different options. It will help us better guide the selection of appropriate medications for pregnant individuals with mental health needs. Any pregnant individual planning to deliver at The Mount Sinai Hospital with a history of bipolar spectrum, schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder, or any psychiatric hospitalization is eligible to enroll, regardless of current treatment.
Cerebrospinal fluid and peripheral markers of the neuropsychiatric sequelae of COVID-19: The generation cerebrospinal fluid pregnancy study (R01MH127315)
Principal Investigators: M. Mercedes Perez-Rodriguez, MD, PhD, and Lot de Witte MD, PhD
We aim to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal mental health during pregnancy, delivery, and the postnatal period. We seek to understand the link between COVID-19 exposure and inflammation in pregnancy as well as the development of mood disorders during the postpartum period. This study will have important implications for mental health in the vulnerable periods of pregnancy and postpartum. It may also identify targets for personalized treatment of the long-term neuropsychiatric symptoms of COVID-19 and other infections. You are eligible to participate in this study if you are pregnant and plan to deliver at The Mount Sinai Hospital.
Relapse after Antipsychotics Discontinuation during pregnancy (R01MH122869)
Principal Investigator: Veerle Bergink, MD, PhD
Approximately 50% of women with bipolar disorder discontinue their antipsychotic medication during pregnancy due to concerns for the fetus but this approach might put these women at high risk for relapse, which can have severe consequences. The proposed studies will investigate the risks and benefits of antipsychotic use during pregnancy using large and comprehensive Danish and Swedish population-based registers and will help to answer whether continuation or discontinuation of antipsychotics will present the least risk to both mothers and their offspring.
Infection and inflammation during pregnancy (R01MH124776)
Principal Investigator: Veerle Bergink, MD, PhD
The impact of maternal immune activation during pregnancy on brain development in humans is largely unknown. We propose to use the Generation R cohort database, which has a large sample size and a long follow-up period, to combine detailed clinical information on infections during pregnancy and inflammatory biomarkers with structural and functional brain imaging and detailed assessment of cognition, behavior, and psychopathology in the adolescent offspring. While a positive association could lead to targets for prevention and aggressive treatment of infections during pregnancy, negative findings or threshold effects could provide reassurance to pregnant people and their families.
After Delivery
The Generation C Follow-Up Study (R01HD109613)
Principal Investigator: Anna-Sophie Rommel, PhD
This study aims to understand the effects of COVID-19, maternal inflammation, and vaccination against COVID-19 during pregnancy on the child’s overall and brain development. We invite individuals who had participated in the Generation C study to take part in this follow-up study. Participation involves completing questionnaires about the child’s cognitive, motor, and behavioral development, as well as measurement of the electrical activity of the child’s brain using an electroencephalogram.
Risk architecture of postpartum psychosis (R21MH131933)
Principal Investigators: Behrang Mahjani, PhD
Postpartum psychosis is one of the most severe psychiatric conditions and, if left untreated, carries high risks of suicide and infanticide. It should be considered a medical emergency. Postpartum psychosis is generally considered a bipolar spectrum disorder, yet this disorder has not been classified in current disease classification systems because the underlying neurobiology and risk architecture is unclear. In particular, it is unknown how postpartum psychosis fits within the bipolar spectrum. For this reason prevention and treatment guidelines are lacking. The goal of this project is to identify the distinct risk architecture of postpartum psychosis.
Cohort study of first onset of postpartum psychosis in the Netherlands
Principal Investigator: Veerle Bergink, MD, PhD
This is a large prospective cohort of women with postpartum psychosis and mania. We collect detailed clinical phenotyping, blood samples, and imaging data during the acute phase, after remission, and during longer follow-up.