From the top of these walls dominating the Garonne, four centuries of madness contemplate you. Where the visitor is then surprised to jump at the slightest cry escaping from the bars overlooking the pavement. Among the oldest hospitals in the country, Cadillac is also one of the most secret, when its name nevertheless appears regularly in the news item section. At the top of this vast ensemble, two small…
From the top of these walls dominating the Garonne, four centuries of madness contemplate you. Where the visitor is then surprised to jump at the slightest cry escaping from the bars overlooking the pavement. Among the oldest hospitals in the country, Cadillac is also one of the most secret, when its name nevertheless appears regularly in the news item section. At the top of this vast ensemble, two small gray doors hide the heart of the psychiatric reactor. On the left, that of the specially equipped hospital unit (UHSA), this prison for prisoners suffering from mental disorders inaugurated in the summer of 2016. Next to it, that of the Unit for difficult patients (UMD), for a long time one of the rare in France. The one who is nicknamed the cannibal of the Pyrenees stayed there, Romain Dupuy pursues him, when two others have been locked up there for a quarter of a century already.
In total, a little more than 80 patients passing or remaining according to their evolution. “We are always full,” smiles Franck, a psychiatric nurse who has worked here for 38 years. Many criminals declared irresponsible, often coming directly from the judge. Regardless of the sometimes severe incomprehension of the general public, not all entries are definitive. On average, most will stay 18 months before returning to a more traditional psychiatric service. If returns to the UMD box are not rare, some moreover will not set foot there again. “The UMD is a very great place of care, even for those whom the press presents as the worst savages. We saw them arrive surrounded by six guards and leave unrecognizable. But we must also admit that some will never heal. »
Tensions
Hope exists, it is slim, and these people cling to it with all the more certainty that they have lost many of their illusions. “For two years there has been more tension, colleagues no longer feel safe,” warns Sonia. In this unit where the service of order is provided alone by the caregivers, time is dangerously lacking, she says. “It’s not a prison, we are trained to treat, not to defend ourselves. In this area, our know-how depends first and foremost on the time we are given to integrate and get to know the patients. But we have less of them, so acting out is more difficult to detect. For some, a simple look and everything can explode. »
CGT delegate, Jocelyne Goût also points to the growing use, she says, of temporary staff. “That the patients don’t know”, when Franck allows himself to go and type a belote with those who would make ordinary mortals faint. “Except that now we are under pressure to keep them for less time in UMD. As a result, they keep coming back. »