She celebrated her thirteenth birthday, Monday August 15, in the company of her relatives, benefiting from a “permission” granted by the heads of the hospitalization service for adolescents (Shado) in Saint-Nazaire (Loire-Atlantique), a structure which she joined in July. A victim of bullying at school, Julie (first name has been changed) lost her footing at the start of the year. The young girl ran away during which she harbored suicidal thoughts, before being subjected to “long and intense crises”, during which she “hits and convulses”as reported by his distraught parents.
On February 4, the latter took their child to the emergency room of the Nantes University Hospital. “The waiting room was full of young people who were not welltestifies the mother of Julie. When the diagnosis fell – suicidal crisis – the doctor informed me that it was absolutely necessary to protect my daughter, but that there were no hospitalization places in the child psychiatric service. »
Julie was admitted to pediatrics at the hospital in Châteaubriant (Loire-Atlantique), 70 kilometers from her home in Nantes, for two weeks. In addition to the fatigue of travel, his family discovers professionals who are struggling to set up a course of care adapted to the needs of young patients, for lack of arms and suitable structure. “My daughter was with children admitted for broken bones or illnessesreports his mother. She stole the key to a medicine box and ingested some medicine. The staff did everything possible, but the pediatric services are not suitable for children in psychological distress. »
“What is missing are the means”
When she leaves, Julie benefits from follow-up in a medico-psychological center at the rate of two weekly sessions. Following a serious crisis, she returned to the emergency room on July 23. For lack of beds in child psychiatry and because of her agitated state, the teenager is transferred to Saint-Jacques, Nantes hospital dedicated to adult psychiatry. “She was placed in a care and isolation room to protect her from potentially dangerous patients., whispers the teenager’s father. It’s like being in a prison, even worse. A secure room, a mattress, no personal effects. Our daughter begged us to get her out of there. »
The parents take their child home against the advice of the medical community, signing a discharge in support: “It’s terribly guilt-inducing, you live with the weight of a tragedy occurring and, at the same time, it’s impossible to bring yourself to put your daughter in ‘prison’. » Another visit to Saint-Jacques turns into a nightmare: “The few times our child was able to leave her room, she witnessed terrible scenes of violence”confide the parents.
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