Drug-addicted women and motherhood: an update on their treatment. A literature review

The interplay between drug addiction and motherhood is complex and cuts across many areas: criminal, social, medical, societal, political, and moral. This confrontation between drug addiction and motherhood is upsetting the idealised image of pregnancy and motherhood. Drug-addicted women are often the object of negative and stigmatising representations, which have a profound impact on them and affect their treatment, undermining their access to parenthood. Studies about drug addiction among women have opened a new field of reflection for understanding the specific features of drug-related behaviour in this population. The pregnancy, through the intense psychological upheavals that it induces, is a favourable time to start or strengthen existing treatment. This article is intended to provide an update on the evolution of the support offered to drug-dependent women and mothers, as well as the fundamental role of professionals working with them.