217. The Harms of SSRI's During Pregnancy Debate w/ Dr. Adam Urato and Dr. Robert Chen
Three facts are scientifically undisputed: Serotonin is essential for fetal brain development. SSRIs disrupt the serotonin system. SSRIs freely cross the placenta. So why are pregnant women being told these drugs carry "little or no risk"?
In this rare head-to-head debate, Dr. Adam Urato—maternal-fetal medicine specialist and FDA expert panelist—faces off against Dr. Robert Chen, a psychiatry resident willing to do what most of his colleagues won't: step into the arena and defend the establishment position.
What unfolds is a striking conversation where both physicians actually agree on more than you'd expect—including that informed consent is failing pregnant women, that the chemical imbalance theory is dead, and that "untreated depression" is a misleading frame designed to sell drugs. The uncomfortable question neither side can fully answer: If SSRIs are correcting depression, why does the research show worse outcomes for women who stay on them?
This isn't anti-medication propaganda. It's the conversation your doctor isn't trained to have with you.
Listen before you fill that prescription.
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Dr. Roger McFillin
Dr. Roger McFillin is a Clinical Psychologist, Board Certified in Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology. He is the founder of the Conscious Clinician Collective and Executive Director at the Center for Integrated Behavioral Health.
