Catherine Noone (Fine Gael)
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I wish to ask a brief question about a matter on which Deputy Browne and Dr. McCarthy touched, namely, patients currently in psychiatric services. I am unsure as to when they would attend. If they anticipate a pregnancy, would they have access to perinatal psychiatry at that stage to plan the medication aspect? It is a major concern for some women who have an ongoing mental illness. How is that managed? At what point do they move over to perinatal psychiatry? Do they need to be pregnant? What is involved in the planning? I would be interested in Dr. McCarthy's comments. For people with existing conditions, for example, bipolar illness, which is manageable in many cases, anxiety about reducing or going off their medications during pregnancy can cause their illnesses to return, etc.