Lin Li

Managing psychiatric disorders during lactation is challenging due to hormonal fluctuations and emotional stress. While evidence on psychotropic medication use during pregnancy grows, data on its safety during breastfeeding remain limited. This creates a dilemma for mothers and healthcare providers: continuing medication risks infant exposure, while discontinuing increases psychiatric relapse risk. Robust research is urgently needed to guide evidence-based treatment decisions, given the benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and child.The overarching goal of the proposal is to leverage large nationwide data from Sweden and Norway and advanced epidemiological methods (e.g.target trial emualtaion) to comprehensively assess the effects of psychotropic medications during breastfeeding. Specifically, the MILK project will evaluate (1) maternal mental health outcomes, including psychiatric relapse and functional recovery

(2) immediate infant health effects, such as hospital readmissions and emergency visits

and (3) long-term neurodevelopmental and psychiatric outcomes in children. The applicant will lead the MILK project by establishing a multidisciplinary team of experts. Collaborations with patient organizations, clinicians, and policymakers in Sweden and Norway will ensure broad dissemination and real-world impact, contributing to evidence-based guidelines that improve treatment decisions for breastfeeding mothers and enhance long-term health outcomes for families.