Parents are exhausted, and launch a cry from the heart

Photo Hugo Duchaine
Marc-André Duval and Suzanne Girard went to pick up their son, 11 years old, Xavier, yesterday at the Hôpital Rivière-des-Prairies after five months of hospitalization, but are afraid to return home in Drummondville without any assistance for its heavy psychiatric problems.

Hugo Duchaine

Saturday, 14 October, 2017 08:00

UPDATE
Saturday, 14 October, 2017 08:00

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Parents in Drummondville, out of breath and money at all costs want to get mental health assistance for their son, 11, who suffers from severe psychiatric problems.

“To see his son make injury and not be able to help, this is terrible, this is not livable […] My son has his leave [of the hospital] and I do not have any resource in front of me, after five months of hospitalization,” said into tears, Suzanne Girard.

Xavier is suffering from attention deficit disorder (ADHD), Tourette’s syndrome, temper tantrums and self-injury, among others. Yesterday, Mrs. Girard and her partner Marc-André Duval, the returned home after five months in the Hospital Rivière-des-Prairies.

Good news for the couple to low-income, who had to go back and forth between Drummondville and Montreal is two to three times per week. However, the parents, who also have three other children, say they are completely powerless, finding themselves again without assistance before the problems of their son.

“The behaviors for which he was hospitalized are still present,” said the mother of 39 years, showing the arms of his son, covered with wounds that it inflicts.

The parents get to Drummondville, “left to themselves” as the only hospital for their son is more than 100 km.

“It has no common sense, Three-Rivers did not even have the services for him,” says Ms. Girard.

“We are often accused of living far,” adds her husband.

Abandoned

They want to keep their son at home, but Xavier, his mother says, is in need of a controlled environment and may fall into crisis in five seconds if something goes not as he expected.

“He needs to learn to live with its peculiarities. We try to show him, but it is not obvious “, said his father sold out.

The parents are well aware that the case of their sons is complex, but do not know to what resources to turn to for support or respite. They feel abandoned by the health system.

“I have written pages full duplex to describe all of its attacks, hoping to get help in the end, because since he was a baby, I see that my son is not going well […] I never know when my son will put something around the neck,” says Suzanne Girard with concern.

She deplores the fact that the doctors gave her only offer breathing exercises to his son, and a reward system with tokens to encourage normal behaviour.

“These tools are good when it is calm […], but let me propose a token system when my son hits the head, it is not in the right place “, rage-t-it.

The school

The return home will also mark the return to school for the 11-year old boy. But even if it goes in a special class, he can not stay there more than two hours per day. His mother, therefore, must also wear the hat of an educator at home.

In addition to the daily stress caused by the problems of their son, Suzanne Girard and Marc-André Duval must also live with the fear of not making ends meet.

The many trips to Montreal were costly to the family, which remains with the salary attendant to the beneficiaries of Mr. Duval. The latter, which works at night, barely sleep in the day, running up the appointment for his son.

“A flagrant lack of resources”

Photo Dominic Scali

Pierre Blain
Grouping committees users

There is “a flagrant lack of resources” across the province in regards to mental health, which is regarded as the “poor relation” of the health system, according to the director general of the Regroupement provincial des users committees, Pierre Blain.

“Between the [hospitals in Montreal and Quebec city] where there is specialized care for a certain period of time, it must then be supported in our region and it is there that in mental health, there may be a problem,” says Mr Blain.

Generalized

According to him, the problem lived in Drummondville by Suzanne Girard and Marc-André Duval is not unique, but widespread in the province, citing people who have recently spoken in the Laurentians.

“The people must fight, I am forced to use this word, to have better services unfortunately,” he continued.

Pierre Blain, however, remains optimistic. It stresses that an action plan has been done in the last year and that he is being put in place. It is now hoped that it will be accompanied by more resources and money on the part of the government.

“Less sexy “

For Paul Brunet, president of the Council of the protection of patients, mental health is “less sexy” than emergency care or home care for mr. and mrs. All-the-World.

He also noticed, much to his dismay, that there are few services outside of the hospital for those who have serious mental health problems.