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.