Nicole A. Leistikow, MD

Dr. Leistikow is a reproductive psychiatrist specializing in the treatment and prevention of mental illness across the female reproductive life cycle: from premenstrual exacerbation, to pregnancy, postpartum and perimenopause. She is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Maryland where she sees patients and trains residents and fellows in reproductive psychiatry. She completed both medical school and residency at Johns Hopkins. She is a former high school English teacher and freelance journalist and is on the Education Committee of the National Curriculum in Reproductive Psychiatry (NCRPtraining.org). She has written and taught about women’s mental health for both scientific and general audiences.

Selected Journal Articles:

Leistikow N, Baller EB, Bradshaw PJ, Riddle JN, Ross DA, Osborne LM. Prescribing Sleep: An Overlooked Treatment for Postpartum Depression. Biol Psychiatry. Published online March 16, 2022. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.03.006

Leistikow N, Smith MH. Perimenopause and Mental Health: Implications for the Assessment and Treatment of Women at Midlife. Adv Psychiatry Behav Health. 2022;2(1):107-118. doi:10.1016/j.ypsc.2022.05.004

Standeven LR, Olson E, Leistikow N, Payne JL, Osborne LM, Hantsoo L. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Affective Symptoms, and Neuroactive Steroids: a Focus on Allopregnanolone. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2021;23(6):36. doi:10.1007/s11920-021-01244-w

Leistikow N, Smith MH, Payne JL, Osborne LM. Is Valproate Reasonable? Am J Psychiatry. 2021;178(1):99. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.20030350