Suffering teens: a hospital to save your skin

His sheet was removed from him, as was his cover, replaced by the two blue quilted boutis of the "anti-suicide kit".And, every time she is alone in her room, Camille* must now make her clothes and put on paper pajamas.This Saturday morning, on the large table of the care station, two long 8 centimeters are placed near a piece of cutting plastic that she herself gave to the caregivers."The screws came from the switch;Plastic, plywood from the window, "explains Delphine, the nurse.Camille could have done very badly with ... Two days earlier, the girl with arms covered with deep wounds and hematomas already made a suicide attempt (TS) with her sheet, which she had torn and attached to the box springfrom his bed before passing it around his neck.Since then, she has been in room 110, the closest to the healthcare position, service control tower.Its treatment will be reassessed and we will increase its sedatives.

The psychiatric unit for adolescents upsilon brings together 15 beds."We welcome teenagers who wanted to kill each other, which are suffering from attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity (ADHD), anxious disorders vis-à-vis schooling that can lead them to the outburst;children who self-aggress themselves by scarifying themselves, who consume drugs.Some have witnessed or victims of serious acts, mistreatment of various natures, "said Professor Manuel Bouvard, chief of the child and adolescent psychiatry pole.

Multiplication of screens, immigration, gender issues, child psychiatry is faced with the evolution of society.But not only."Human is complicated.It would be an absurdity to oppose psychology to biology, "summarizes the psychiatrist.Which also recalls that cannabis consumption during adolescence increases the risks of entry into schizophrenia.This unit is often the last recourse for families who do not do it anymore.How to say that your own son strikes you?What to do with these young people whose society does not want, like this 12 -year -old girl at the head of a prostitution network, this ghost of Iraq and these isolated foreign minors?This is the case of Acha*, 16, a fellow at the physics of athlete.Born in Cameroon, he crossed twelve countries in two years.In the desert, he saw 325 people out of 350 die.Among them, women, children, babies.At sea, he lost his friend Moussa who had just given him the old tire that served him as a buoy ... And every night, before arriving here, he relived this trip to hell."They have worse stories than in films," slips a nursing assistant.

80 % of girls hospitalized here have been sexual abuse

At the end of the 19th century, the Charles-Perrens center, in Bordeaux, was considered a model asylum.He is one of the rare hospitals located in the city "at a time when we preferred to send the madmen outside," says Professor Bouvard.This Saturday, at the end of the morning, nurses and nursing assistants are gathered around the psychiatrist Jean-Philippe Rénéric, head of the service and doctor on duty that day.They take stock before weekend outings.From Sunday to Monday, Alicia* will go to a temporary host family.She is 16 years old.His mother has disappeared for seven years without leaving a trace.Alicia can no longer see her father, condemned for touching.Like her, 80 % of girls hospitalized here suffered sexual abuse.Alicia wandered from home to hearth, scarifies, chain the fugues during which she put herself in danger.Because she has repeatedly threatened to jump from the third floor of the last establishment where she had been placed, he refuses to take it back.It has been there for more than six weeks, while the average length of hospitalization is twenty days."For her to come out, she would still have to have a place to go," admits Dr. Rénéric.His file was however classified as a priority by the department.

Almost half of the patients we met during this report are placed in households."Before, you could quickly hospitalize a young person then organize the rest: the return, the development of schooling.Today, everything is blocked because everything is saturated, "deplores Amina Abdelkrim, one of the two psychologists.Medico-psychological centers (CMP), for example;It takes between six months and a year to obtain a first meeting.Result: young people who could have been taken care of earlier tumble in the emergency room and land here.During the "debrief" comes the case of Camille.Her mother asked to see her, which is refused to her at the moment."If you think she's better with you than in her mother's arms ...", she said on the phone."She panic", analyzes Delphine.This contact deprivation is often difficult for loved ones.

The next morning, at breakfast, Camille, Thomas* and Lola* launched, between two buttered bread sandwiches, in a discussion on schizophrenia.Lola evokes the case of her mother: "She speaks and then, suddenly, she stops and freezes."Thomas believes that this is a duplication of the personality."No, that's bipolar," retorts Camille."Me, I hear voices and I see the person;I am told that it is anxiety, "adds Thomas.Delphine, the nurse, intervenes to explain that the brain of young people is not "finished" and that things are not fixed."It is cured, schizophrenia?"»Asks Camille.Thomas shakes his head.Delphine nuance: "There are treatments that stabilize.»All seek to put words on their ailments."Putting a diagnosis that may not be final makes it possible to determine intervention strategies and anticipate the future of these children," said Professor Bouvard.This diagnosis is mostly accompanied by treatment.Antidepressants are very controversial: parents are almost always opposed and the medical community also hesitates."There are side effects.It is also easier to say: "My child has a problem at the heart" than "my child has a mental illness", "notes Marine, internal in psychiatry.And Manuel Bouvard added: "When one tells a patient that he is schizophrenic, it does not mean that he is condemned to death or to end his days in an asylum.But that he will have life treatment, that he will have to be followed and accompanied."That they accept the care and it is already half of the work accomplished.

This afternoon, teens are playing ping-pong, Wii.They look like young people like any other.On the colorful sofas, the girls heckle, take themselves in their arms, are recalled to order: physical contacts prohibited.Couples are still formed."This is not the place for romantic relationships," repeats a nurse."They have to protect themselves," said the doctor.Some manage to hide their discomfort.It is then that know-how and experience unfold."Our job is to observe to locate what is wrong, at the somatic level or in behavior," explains Delphine.She who worked in the marketing department of a large cosmetics brand has been converted to 33 years old."I needed to give meaning to my life," she said.Availability must be permanent.Informal moments - meal, bedtime, room time - are essential.After brewed childhoods, many suffer from emotional deficiencies."There they are safe.We take care of them, we give them food, we laugh.Some would like to stay but it is not a place of life, "says the nurse.When she started here, five years ago, she was very attached to young residents.She learned to forget."We can't keep everything.Behind a teenager, you should not see only the raped child or the child whose father killed the mother ... "

Three months ago, Mélanie*, 15, was seen in pre -selling and registered on the unit waiting list for "thymic flexibility, suicidal ideas and increase in scarifications".Careful manicure, make -up eyes and long striped dress, she presents herself with her parents in the music room.Aude, a nurse, describes the service and her rules to him."We are fifteen nurses, six nursing assistants, a social worker, a psychomotrician, health executives, doctors, two psychologists, that makes a lot of people ..." Then she tells him that she will not be entitled to the phoneportable.That, during the first 48 hours, she will not have contact with her family and that her personal belongings will be placed in her closed closed closet.She will have to call on a member of the team to take what she will need.This "strict inventory" (IS) will be lifted if everything is going well.Then Aude reviews the contents of the suitcase.It gives cakes and cereals to parents, looking for a possible razor or a mirror, also prohibited.Mélanie begins to cry: "It looks like a prison ..." Her father caresses her arm while whispering: "She's going great since the last time.The mother rectifies: "She's better but not better.»»

Aude tries to reassure them;This hospitalization is not a punishment.While Mélanie visits the place, she meets Théo*, 14, arrived a month ago.Or, rather, returned a month ago. « J’ai fait une dépression et j’ai été hospitalisé à l’Unité de soins aigus pour adolescents (Usaa) juste à côté, pendant six mois»», me souffle-t-il un peu plus tard.With his soft voice, his hair in battle and his rounded face, he looks like a child."Depression, I didn't even know that it existed.I thought it was bogus, people who were bad to be bad.Now I know it's a real illness.»» Théo aime l’effet colo du groupe.He appreciates being able to talk about his problems with others."Outside, they are not able to understand.»» Avant, il pensait que ce service était réservé « aux fous, à ceux qui se tapent la tête contre les murs ou agressent les gens gratuitement»». Il résume ce qu’il a découvert : « Des gens en souffrance…»» Se reprend : « Enfin, à l’Usaa, il y en a qui sont bien tarés.»» Un jour, il s’est fait courser dans le couloir par un patient qui voulait l’étrangler."I laugh, but, at the time, I was afraid.»»

From the Upsilon building, we access the USAA by a corridor.But you must first cross a door that opens, like the others, with a badge.This smaller unit, which has five individual rooms and an intensive care chamber, is reserved for the most acute crises.Fewer activities offered to young people but more free hours. Ce jour-là, Jules* avait été placé en « chambre d’iso»» (pour isolement).He had refused time in the chamber imposed and got angry.Five caregivers from other services arrived in reinforcement.But he wanted to force the passage and spit in the face of a nurse.The team decided to place it for 24 hours in this empty room, with a toilet area and, for the sole furniture, a bed made up of two large mattresses stacked one on the other.Tissue compression links to tie the hands and feet in bed are rarely used."For a long time, psychiatry has considered restraint as being able to be therapeutic, a factor of appeasement," recalls Professor Bouvard.The law changed in 2016 and this deprivation of freedom can now only be done in the name of security elements.»»

We do not come out of the hospital.Many patients must be followed at the adolescent ambulatory processing unit (UTAA), located in the building.Some will come back.In the care positions, words of thanks are displayed, maintaining the hope of the patients and caregivers. « Merci d’avoir pris “soins” de moi»», peut-on lire sans qu’on sache si la faute est volontaire.When she takes stock of her five years in service, Delphine talks about these two teenagers who committed suicide after their release. Mais elle se souvient aussi de celui qu’elle appelle avec tendresse « notre loup-garou»»."The full moon nights, he transformed, pushed cries, scratched his wall ... But he was adorable!"The treatments were able to reduce its delusions.»» Un jour, il est revenu les voir pour leur annoncer qu’il avait trouvé une copine.The most beautiful victories.

Read.Travel at the end of adolescence

In the USAA, we find Manon*, who will be 16 years old tomorrow.For the third consecutive year, she will celebrate her birthday in the service.Since her 12 years, she has been, she says, "about twenty hospit".A vicious circle, I'm in hospit, it's better, I go out, I relapse and I come back.»» Elle a encore essayé de se tuer."It's not the first time.»» L’équipe lui a proposé un « placement»» : « C’est peut-être la solution»», convient-elle.In the square courtyard, she chooses a corner in the sun on the table where she settles with a game of points to link.The hardest part here is boredom.She doesn't know what her drawing will give.And it's almost a metaphor for his future.* The first names of the teenagers have been modified.