Enhancing decision-making by depressed pregnant patients.

Objective: We provide the reader with clinical tools for enhancing decision-making by depressed pregnant patients.

Results: Ethical principles and the concept of fetus as patient support four clinical strategies for enhancing the autonomy of these patients: screening for depression; assessing the effects of depression on decision-making capacity; counseling about the adverse consequences of depression for pregnancy; and informing patients about the options for treatment of depression.

Conclusions: These four strategies can be used to prevent ethical conflict in decisions about the management of pregnancy in patients with depression.