Health care for women with children in Germany--preventive and rehabilitative measures for mother and child

Abstract

In Germany, the social health system tries to take into account the divergent expectations and needs of women with children. One of the available services for mentally ill women, the so called mother-child rehabilitation, is a special inpatient service for exhausted and depressed women. Mothers may bring their children along and children receive medical and psychological treatment as well if they need it. In the following, we describe and compare this service with other available services for women in Germany and draw some conclusions in regard to the future of these measures, taking funding problems into account.