ABSTRACT
Within the framework of the study, parents are usually referred to crisis intervention by the Department for Human Genetics. Following the notification of the pathological results—mostly over the telephone—by the gynaecologist in attendance, the parents are given an appointment at the Department for Human Genetics of the University Clinic of Mainz. There, they are offered a subsequent consultation at the Department for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy. Many parents or pregnant women accept this offer, others do not ask for further consultation until after the abortion. This indicates that, although psychological pressure is weighing heavily on them, the persons affected still seem to be considerably inhibited from taking advantage of consultation or crisis intervention. The case example below shows, clinically, which complications may occur within the mourning process after an abortion because of infant malformation, which consultation or treatment strategies proved to be successful, and which psychological changing processes concerning time-limited crisis intervention could be induced.
