Clinical team for open care addiction psychiatry

The open care team manages pregnant women with severe addiction and their partners. Patients from department R1 who have experienced a psychosis triggered by drug abuse are also referred to the team. This excludes, however, psychoses triggered by cannabis abuse, since patients with this type of psychosis are generally managed by the departments of the psychiatric responsibility area.

In the beginning of the period of hospital stay, the patient is evaluated for addiction and psychiatric illness. During this time, the patient will have appointments with nurses and doctors. And, if needed, a social worker will be consulted for assessing the patient's state. The assessment period will result in a treatment and rehabilitation plan for the patient. The plan may include a period of institutional care.

Patients managed by the team for open care addiction psychiatry have, in addition to the addiction problem, often a diagnosis of psychosis, ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) or some degree of trauma. Almost all patients are identified as having a personality disorder.

The families of pregnant women with addiction problems are also included in the assessment, and some patients are followed-up for a prolonged period of time. When the family is involved, the team collaborates with the social authorities responsible for child welfare and with the open care HAL-unit of the gynaecology clinic and the paediatric clinic (including the prematurity unit) of the Turku University Hospital. HAL is short for huumeet, alkoholi, lääkkeet, i.e., drugs, alcohol, medicines.