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Abortion Not Linked to Mental Health Problems

A report by the United Kingdom’s National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, released by Britain’s Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and the Royal college of Psychiatrists, indicates that abortions do not increase women’s tendency to develop mental health problems, including anxiety and depression. The report did, however, caution that mental health issues can increase for women who have unwanted pregnancies: “About 11 to 12 percent of women in general suffer from mental health issues like anxiety or depression, but among women with unwanted pregnancies that figure rises to about one third.”

Dr. Tim Kendall, director of the Centre for Mental Health stated, “We should be looking at what it is about the unwanted pregnancy stage that is so problematic. We need to try to get those women help sooner so they’re not put at greater risk.”

The study is based on reviews of studies, including several million women who had unwanted pregnancies, and was conducted over the past 20 years throughout the world.

Huffington Post 12/9/11; BBC 12/9/11

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