"Mummy, Think Of Me" - A Multimodal Psychiatric Outpatient Treatment Program For Pregnant Women And Parents With Substance Use Disorders

Aims: Substance-dependent pregnant women, mothers and fathers require specialized care, particularly those with methamphetamine (MA) dependence. Therefore, the University Hospital Dresden launched an interdisciplinary treatment program called " Mummy, think of me" in 2016. We here describe its novel addiction-specific psychiatric outpatient treatment. Method: Task assignments of psychiatrists, social workers, and psychologists are presented in detail. Specific aspects include group psychotherapy for MA-addicted pregnant women and mothers, proof of abstinence, procedures in case of a positive drug screening, and cooperation with the youth welfare offices. Results: 68 patients (including 19 fathers) were included. The main diagnoses were MA (65 %), alcohol (18 %) and cannabis dependence (15 %). 78 % of the patients suffered from comorbid psychiatric disorders and in 56 % these were not addiction-related. 71 % were extrinsically motivated for treatment, 71 % received unemployment benefits and 38 % had a criminal record. The retention rate for patients enrolled in the therapy program was 77 %, with a median therapy duration of 22 weeks. 20 patients were referred to inpatient detoxification/rehab. Conclusions: The patient sample we enrolled was severely affected by disease and social problems. Nevertheless, our outpatient psychiatric treatment program retained most patients in stable abstinence and might therefore be a viable alternative to inpatient long-term rehabilitation programs.