To be able to tackle psychological vulnerability among pregnant women and new mothers earlier, Treant and GGZ Drenthe are joining forces. A special outpatient clinic has been set up in the hospital in Emmen for pregnant women who experience psychological or psychiatric problems.
“A pregnancy is a very vulnerable period. It is always exciting and you also have to deal with hormonal fluctuations,” says gynecologist Marjon Riksen van Treant. For example, women who use antidepressants or are dealing with addiction problems can get stuck as a result. “But there are also women who develop depression during pregnancy or end up in postnatal depression after giving birth.”
The specialist care for women with all kinds of psychological vulnerability is accommodated in the POP clinic. The abbreviation stands for psychiatry, obstetrics (obstetrics) and pediatrics (paediatrics).
“Although Drenthe has a relatively large number of pregnant women with psychological vulnerability, often with multiple and complex problems, Treant lacked a POP clinic,” the healthcare organization reports. “We are of course familiar with the advice the women receive,” Riksen explains. “But previously it involved two discs and now women can go to one place in Emmen. And we no longer have to refer pregnant women in the region to POP clinics in Groningen or Zwolle, for example.”
In the outpatient clinic it is all about early identification of problems, diagnosing them and of course, especially the treatment and guidance of these women. The POP clinic is the result of a broader collaboration around pregnant women with psychological vulnerability in the Veenkoloniën.
“GPs, midwives or, for example, a psychiatrist can refer a pregnant woman to our POP clinic. There, a psychiatrist or a psychiatric nurse will talk to the woman. As a gynecologist, I mainly focus on the pregnancy. The main question for the woman is: what do you need? Together we discuss the patient and look at what is best for the woman and her unborn child,” says Treant’s gynecologist.
In this new collaboration, Treant is responsible for obstetric and pediatric care, while GGZ Drenthe takes care of psychiatric care.
