Understanding and Treating Substance Abusers and Their Infants

The problem of drug dependency among women of childbearing age is a major public health dilemma in the United States. The substance abusing mother with her medical, obstetrical, psychiatric, and drug treatment needs, combined with her infant with any degree of neurobehavioral or other difficulties, often yields a mother-infant dyad fraught with difficulty. This article describes the multiple needs of the substance abusing mother and her infant and the experience of a comprehensive care treatment facility in meeting those needs. General recommendations for practitioners treating this unique population are also included.