Psychiatrie Sous Haute Sécurité : là où les plus Dangereux sont enfermés

Dans l’enceinte de l’hôpital psychiatrique Saint Jean de Dieu à Lyon, caméras embarquées au cœur du quotidien des soignants et de patients en pleine crise : accès de violence, paranoïa, tentatives de fuite. Leur mission ? Préparer ces malades à retrouver la liberté.

Découvrez des images rares d’une unité fermée à Avignon, réservée aux patients jugés dangereux – tous ont déjà commis des actes violents…

Productions Tony Comiti. Auteur : Christel Bertrand.

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In the treatment room,
always locked, Régine, a nurse, often needs a small white bag. It contains special treatment. It is only administered
in a psychiatric hospital. What’s that?
– A restraint. A patient needs to be restrained because they are agitated. Restraints are straps. Régine is setting them up for a patient who will arrive in a few moments. He is a schizophrenic in the middle of a crisis. Like all schizophrenics, He feels like his body and mind are exploding into a thousand pieces. Even though it’s surprising,
tying him up feels good. We’ll make sure
to welcome him well. It’s a pleasant part of the treatment, because we’re able to contain the patient. We put it together. Within 24 hours,
the crisis will have subsided. Bringing the patient together is giving them the feeling again that it is no longer one. By tying him up, he returns to reality faster. The patient who arrives is very excited. To be on the safe side,
about ten nurses welcomed him. Because a crisis
multiplies the patient’s strength. A little persecuted too. He says the doctor is friends with his parents, That’s why…
– He’s being hospitalized? Yes. For several days,
this young man has been scaring his parents. He stays locked in his room
and doesn’t speak to them anymore. He was strapped to the stretcher
as he was taken out of the ambulance. Are you the doctor?
– Yes, the doctor from Pau. I am a psychiatrist in the unit. The young man is impressed
by the escort of nurses. He is calm in appearance. Régine prepares a powerful medicine to relax the patient. So, is it going well? Yes, we won’t be putting on restraints for now. We are negotiating. As with all schizophrenics, the most difficult for the psychiatrist, is to make the patient understand that he is sick, that he needs
treatment. You agree to take
oral treatment. If you don’t accept,
you’ll be given an injection. Your behavior must be adapted. How long
do I have to stay here? I don’t know. We need to understand what is happening, understand why
you worry everyone, when you think
everything is fine. I never said that. We need to understand
what’s happening to you. Why are you telling me that it is difficult
to communicate with me? It’s true,
we can’t talk to you. You can’t hear what’s being said to you. That’s worrying.
– I can hear you perfectly. There were some complicated things that happened at home. You are a nurse. There, you are making an error
in medical judgment. For Charlotte, the psychiatrist, This is the beginning of a long negotiation. This is a patient
who is quite angry to be here, who doesn’t understand
why he’s hospitalized. The dialogue was a little complicated so far. The reinforcement team leaves the department. Régine and the psychiatrist find the patient’s mother. She remained alone
in the waiting room. We’ll take the time
to get to know him. I ask you one thing:
don’t release him. Do what you want,
but have mercy. We are exhausted enough. It’s been going on for a long time. Despite this mother’s distress, have his son hospitalized against his will, It’s not that simple. To avoid
unfair internments, the law requires the psychiatrist to obtain a second medical opinion,
from outside the hospital. I’m calling you because I need of a second agility certificate. At the end of the line, SOS Doctors, This is the fastest way
to obtain the certificate. Half an hour later,
the doctor saw the patient and comes to the same conclusion, hospitalization is necessary. I admit that this requires
clearing things up. Let’s be clear. There’s a risk of action there. Within a few hours,
the patient saw several doctors. A psychiatrist, nurses. He was admitted to the hospital and took medication. Even after all this, he remains disconnected from reality. Yes ? We’re coming to see you.
– You may come in. Have you seen
the SOS Médecins doctor? I saw that I wasn’t going to stay here too long. What is written in his report? I think I’ll see my parents. They’ll let me out of here early. Schizophrenia is a poorly understood mental illness. It often occurs during adolescence. Some people have hallucinations, others hear voices
or feel persecuted. One percent of the French population, or more than 635,000 people,
would be schizophrenic. An incurable disease
that requires lifelong treatment. I’m leaving. I’m leaving. I’m not 12, I’m 18. There is no problem. I’m not dead. I’ll never believe such nonsense. It’s impossible
since I’m a medium. A disease that scares people because it makes them dangerously ill and difficult to control. We saw it years ago in this hospital. Karim! Lately, Schizophrenia
often makes headlines. It all began in December 2004
with Romain Dupuy, a patient who slits the throats of two nurses in Pau. He will explain that he mistook one of them for an undead creature. Last winter, it was in Grenoble that another schizophrenic
makes the news. The attack was brutal and bloody. A 26-year-old student died yesterday, stabbed by a mentally ill man. in the streets of Grenoble. The man was interned
in a psychiatric hospital. He managed to escape, to buy a knife
before taking action. This is the third time he has committed this type of attack. Cases that raise questions and reignite debate. Are we safe
from dangerous schizophrenics? Should they be locked up for life? For the President of the Republic,
there is a problem. There needs to be more security
in psychiatric hospitals. We cannot
leave a patient alone who has a clear need for care and who can sometimes refuse to submit to it. Is security in psychiatric hospitals well ensured? Who decides whether to lock up the sick or let them go free? David. In this department
of the psychiatric hospital Saint-Jean-de-Dieu in Lyon, a patient is in crisis. David! What’s going on David? You just have to explain it to him. If you feel like screaming, go to your room. It’s allowed, it’ll deflate you a little. David is schizophrenic. That morning, he was a little nervous. Since yesterday,
he has been forced to stay in his pajamas, because he did something stupid that could have gone very wrong. He’s in his pajamas
because last night, He tried to set fire to his room. I didn’t get the replacement. I couldn’t say
how it went. This prevents him from being able to leave without permission. That he could put himself in danger outside. How are you ? No, no, no, no. It’s no use, David. Like all sick people, David was hospitalized following a seizure. For everyone, the goal is to get out one day, even after several years. The difficulty is determining the right moment. We’ll pick you up
for treatment, then you are brought a tray. We’ll see you later. Come on, here we go. We’ll pick you up at 6:30. Try to relax a little bit. In this department,
the teams treat 40 patients. They are not all dangerous,
but all are unpredictable. We were born from science. We never had parents,
I’m the richest woman in the world, I don’t ask questions.
My name is Incognito. That’s not true, madam. I’m not going to the guillotine, madam. It’s not true
that I’m going to the guillotine. No, it doesn’t exist anymore. I don’t believe in Martians at all. We’re going to make a tray. In 18 years, Françoise has answered
the craziest questions. Are you watching Olympique Lyonnais tonight? Being a psychiatric service agent, It’s putting up with the mood swings of patients all day long. No, no.
– I don’t give a damn. It’s not my problem.
– Then neither am I. I don’t agree. I am not a prostitute. Go to your room. Afterwards, I send the nurse. I’m going to change a bicycle wheel. It’s true
that we’re tired, stressed, because we are experiencing difficult situations. It’s interesting
and they are so touching that we erase all that. Who’s setting the table?
We’ll go take a look. To prepare patients for discharge, Nurses teach them to be independent. As in this service, the sick are not considered dangerous, forks and knives are freely available. Like that ? Knife on the right, fork on the left. It hasn’t been printed yet. There are knives missing, gentlemen. They are volunteers,
but they put two things and presto, They leave quickly afterward,
they quickly get fed up. One of the main difficulties, It’s about getting them to take their treatment. Jean-Louis hasn’t set the table in 20 years. It’s his first day
in this department. Without wasting a minute, Monique teaches him to be responsible. Come on, I’ll explain something important to you. Here,
to manage a little, you will have to learn to prepare your own medication. You entered today. You won’t be asked. I have prepared them for you. Gradually, you will have to hold
your medication, know a little bit about what it’s for. How many are there? So Mr. F. There should be three, maybe four. You still have quite a few. Tegretol. It’s for epilepsy a little bit. The risperdale, It’s your neuroleptic and the trypte. You take this. Green is it? The green one is risperdale. It’s a neuroleptic,
for your liver disease. The green pill is the most important. It controls
hallucinations, delusions and Jean-Louis’ aggressiveness. The downside is the side effects. Drowsiness, tremors, muscle contractures, fever or even severe headaches. You need to take
other medications to counteract the undesirable effects of the first. A treatment that schizophrenics swallow four times a day, all their lives. That makes you sleepy. No, it will calm you down. It’s not going to put you to sleep. Don’t worry. Ladies and gentlemen, if you would like to come in. The power struggle
between patients and caregivers is constant. Nurses must show that they are the strongest. You’re asked to go there, please go there. For example, Antonie
is forced to dine alone, because in the afternoon, he was aggressive. No juice, Liliane, I know. So. Chantal. You like that, Isabelle. Look! I knew. A little later, Françoise immediately puts it back in place a sick person who was familiar. You don’t address me informally. This is the respect you should have for me. Let me finish. I don’t address you informally,
because it’s out of respect I have for you. I won’t tell you 50 times. So after that,
you see? You get up and take it. It’s very simple, you can do it. I’m sure of it. If Françoise speaks harshly, it’s to channel this woman who has already been violent towards her. I got slapped
and it dislocated my neck. That’s why now, I’m trying to stop. François, stop chatting. I’m coming, I’m coming. Françoise!
– Yes, I’m coming. Eat apples
while you have teeth. During the day, Patients cannot freely leave the facility. They are only allowed
to walk in the park. Rémi, 48, schizophrenic, has lived here for 10 years. His walks often take him to the deer enclosure. A doe is alive. Do you often come to see the deer? I come to recharge my batteries,
I feel like they’re talking to me. They are animals first and foremost. They all have an aura, a soul which allows us to communicate with them. It’s good therapy, deer. When things go wrong, I bring them something,
it feels much better. How are you doing right now? Yes, I’m fine. I am anxious by nature, Not so much. Not in the afternoon, nor in the evening. It’s just morning. I’m better than before. I’ve apparently made a lot of progress. What were you like before? Rémi has been ill for 30 years. It started
during his military service. For years, his outbursts made him violent. It’s a satanic crisis,
really strong. I said, I’m going to hit you. They tied me up and I suffered. Yes, I suffered. She likes me. Today, Rémi is better, He doesn’t feel able to leave the hospital. Now,
satanic crises are…? It was when I started. There is always some awkwardness. You want to get out of the hospital, to return to the city,
to live outside? Yes, I would like to,
but I don’t have a follow-up. I’m not stable enough. It’s impossible to know
how long Rémi will be independent enough
to live outside. Schizophrenia
is an illness made slow improvements
and relapses. To avoid runaways, Some patients stay in their pajamas all day. Additional precaution, The one who set fire to his room, David is accompanied by a nurse. This is an exceptional outing. I went with him for coffee. It’s a small accompaniment
and it has to go in, because he is not allowed to leave the service normally. This is his setting right now. Because he’s not doing very well. So, we tightened up the framework with the doctor. Do you miss not being dressed? No.
– Yes, I miss it. Yes. Finish your cigarette. Many people with schizophrenia
believe they are not ill. They have only one idea in mind:
to escape the hospital. Running away can quickly cause panic. At Christmas, a schizophrenic
who has already killed a man runs away from a Marseille hospital. A few weeks later, A triple murderer manages to escape to Yvelines. Fortunately, each time,
they were caught. Such escapes are possible, because a psychiatric hospital
is not a prison. In Lyon, it is wide open. Three security guards monitor the comings and goings and they have an eye. There is the patient there. Good morning, sir! Good morning. Where are you going, please? Where are you going, sir? Where are you going, sir? Do you have permission? The most natural thing in the world, The man tries to pretend that he came for a free consultation. Where did you go? How ? Yes, hello.
This is the guard post. Mr. ***, is he at your house? Because he’s trying to run away. He was arrested
at the guard post. THANKS. You don’t have
permission to leave. Not right away. Without a word, the unmasked patient turns back. Attempted escape. It was a close call. There are several of us, there were two of us. It was all about feeling. It’s a bit of a feeling. There’s a lot of movement this morning with work on the establishment. There is quite a bit of traffic. There, it’s someone
I hadn’t seen at all, that I didn’t know. I hadn’t seen him pass by this morning. Obviously,
it was someone who was trying to… We must be vigilant. Just in this hospital, Last year, there were 237 attempted escapes. Nearly one in three cases,
the patients managed to escape. Most of the time,
they are quickly caught, but some
are never found. Therefore day and night, The guards are
missioned to monitor the entrance, to respond to fire alarms and to inspect the 25 hectares of park. The hospital’s 18 security guards are working hard. It happened
that we found people who were sleeping in the park. It could be former patients who feel safe
in the establishment. Who come to squat. It could be homeless people, it could be
a patient at this time who, following his treatment, fell asleep in the grass and he didn’t wake up. Have you ever been afraid? Like every man on earth. We are never safe
from aggression and fear. When they patrol on foot, it’s always in pairs, in case. It’s good. You don’t understand anything. I’m going to rest, madam. Pardon ? What’s going on, sir? You don’t understand a single word of what I’m saying. I’ll pass it. You don’t understand anything. Sir!
– I’ll pass it. Come see, we’ll go there. At night, to manage the crises of the 40 patients in the department, There are only three nurses. That’s half
less than during the day. Sir, come on.
I’ll see you out. Leave me alone. Well, I’ll leave you. I’ll leave you. Leave me alone.
– I’ll leave you. If the situation escalates, Nurses can call for reinforcements. It’s a red button,
it says Call for Help. There are three in each department and we press it when we are faced with a serious problem which can threaten our lives
or those of patients. You think that
the psychiatric hospital today is safe? I will answer you no. We inevitably always feel unsafe. The general demand
is indeed to have as many staff as possible. We must not forget that we are dealing to patients who are sick, who, most of the time,
don’t think twice about their actions. At 11 p.m., each patient
must return to their room. For some, It’s one of the most painful moments of the day. This is the time when fears and anxieties are awakened. Some patients
prefer to be locked in. Isabelle, you need to go to bed now. Have a good night. I’m closing you. Are you closing?
Okay. What’s this mess? Where do you put stuffed animals so you can sleep? Last night,
you were on the floor. Is this normal?
– I don’t know. I feel there is something
behind me, that stimulates me, something sexual under the mattress. And it does things to me. If there is a problem sleeping, You can always talk about it with the doctor. It’s been like this for a year,
five months. Every night,
the young woman sleeps on the floor, because her hallucinations make her believe
that she is being raped in her bed. She puts her stuffed animals to sleep in their place. This isn’t a prerequisite for sleeping.
– If you want me… Yes, but you know that very well. I sleep like this.
I feel something. Nothing is happening. No one will enter your room. There, we’re going to go out again. I’ll give a turn of the key and you will be at peace. They are very calm. Yes?
– They’re very calm. In the morning, it’s Pierre, the educator
who wakes up patients. Celine, have you seen ***? Not yet. Let’s go then. We’re going to see ***. What’s going on, Andre? It stings.
– It stings? Celine’s coming.
She told me. Pierre has been trying for months to get her to sleep in his bed. Have you seen the time? Each time,
the disease wins. You slept on the floor last night. Visibly, The young woman’s night was very eventful again. I’m waiting for you. At thirty-five years old, She spent almost her entire life in a psychiatric hospital. When she arrived in this department, his attacks were more violent. What you see here is enormous progress. A year ago,
we couldn’t go back in his room sometimes, there were so many everywhere. There weren’t just clothes everywhere. There were loads of magazines,
loads of stuff. An accumulation of objects, of things. We were overwhelmed, we didn’t know how to handle her. She’s a runaway. Sometimes,
she’s threatening. I think there were
some essential things. We’ve set a framework. We said on such and such a day,
you will do this. On such a day, we will do that. Now she hears. Before,
it would go as far as a clash. It took months for the medical team to make her more sociable. It may take them years to get her to sleep in her bed. This patient is far from being able to leave the hospital. The man who decides on permissions and final exits,
it’s Dr. Levanui. The ward psychiatrist. Where are the nurses? There’s no need to shout. They are definitely out there somewhere. This morning, the psychiatrist wants to assess Jean-Louis. This man has already spent 20 years
in a psychiatric hospital. His attempts to get out
have always failed. Today,
the interview might be successful. to a little permission. How have things been
since your arrival? It’s going pretty well. I spend most of my time in the TV room. It seems you’re taking better care of yourself. since you arrived. In one week, you have changed your habits. There hasn’t been a change for you. since you arrived here? No. Outings in the park alone. I was given pocket money so I can have coffee. That’s new. Mr. Pierre
bought me some cigarettes in a tobacconist’s. In the future, it would be nice if it were you. Do you think I can go buy some cigarettes? Why not ? In my condition,
it was simpler. Wouldn’t it be better to go outside? According to Dr. Levanui, when he discharges
a patient like Jean-Louis, he takes almost no risks. What guarantee do you have that he will return? Already, the clinical condition
and also the confidence that we can have mutually. Currently,
if someone is not doing very well, we don’t let him out. An hour later,
Jean-Louis is ready. Is this for your permission to go out? Yes.
– I’ll walk you to the checkout. Yes. The doctor gives you one hour.
– At 2 p.m. There, I put unaccompanied? Yes.
Unaccompanied. This pink paper makes the release official and relieves the hospital of responsibility
in the event of a problem outside. Jean-Louis is under state guardianship. He is unable to have a bank account. I would like to withdraw 40 euros. This €630 adult disability allowance is managed by the hospital. Thanks again. See you later,
Mr. D. It’s a big day for Jean-Louis. It’s been five years since he last
stepped through the hospital gates. Hello.
– Hello. He goes to buy his cigarettes with Rémi, the one who talks to deer. Thank you.
Have a nice day. Goodbye.
– Yes, thank you. It’s stamped everywhere too. Are we leaving? Contrary to popular belief,
when schizophrenics are outside, they are more often victims of aggression than perpetrators, because their behavior is disturbing. He and I are from there. Change it! Rémi is more independent. He’s been coming and going from the hospital regularly for a year. He even has a bank card. It’s because of the exterior that we feel good. That’s great. Are we sure
they’re bringing the coffees? Yes.
They should bring them. He is good. The coffees outside are strong.
– Great! I’m like the Martians,
I always have one finger raised. Yes. Cigar! It’s because we’re good here. I feel good here. Yes.
We’re comfortable. Yes, that’s good.
There’s space. There are only madmen on the terrace, It’s the two of us. Stabilized by their treatments
and monitored by a psychiatrist, Schizophrenics like Jean-Louis and Rémi are harmless. On the other hand,
when there is no longer any follow-up and the patient
no longer takes his medication, It can quickly turn into a tragedy. Romain knows something about it. He almost
never walked again in the mountains with his father. In 2006, he was stabbed
by a schizophrenic in the middle of a hallucination crisis. He has after-effects from it. I have pain on exertion in my left pectoral muscle. When I inflate
my lungs fully, I have a kind of pain between my ribs. It didn’t do that to me before. I don’t know if it’s serious,
but it’s residual. That year,
after a skiing accident, Romain is hospitalized in Chambéry. A week after his admission
to the orthopedic ward, a 33-year-old man, who broke his foot
is settled in his room. The evening passed
in a normal and cordial manner. We had a discussion. What’s your name ? Why are you here? Very cordial discussion. Afterwards, I fell asleep and I was woken up
by a violent pain in my chest. When I woke up, my roommate was at the foot of the bed with a knife in his hand, covered in blood and me with a scar here,
which was pissing blood as they say. His face had completely changed. He told me atrocities
and asked me if I wanted to die right away, if I wanted
him to finish me now or he cuts off my balls. It’s the kind of thing you say
jokingly to your friends. I can tell you that when you are paralyzed in bed facing someone
who is ready to fight, It’s not funny. There, miraculously, I managed to keep my cool. and buy time until a nurse arrives. The nurse’s bell wasn’t working. I was bedridden with my attacker
in the bedroom, without being able to do anything. Luckily,
the nurse hears a noise. His office is just across from Romain’s room. When she enters, she has no trouble
shooing the schizophrenic away. His foot is in a cast
and he uses a wheelchair. She alerts the emergency services. Romain will spend several weeks in the hospital. He kept
some photos of it. Here!
I have some photos. of intensive care in Chambéry. At a time
when I was barely conscious. There, I was still
under the influence of anesthesia. Romain knows he was very lucky. A blood clot stopped the bleeding. Without it, he would certainly have died. The return of the grandson. Romain now lives in Scotland, where he is a student. A good champagne. He celebrates his return
at his grandparents’ house, with his father and mother. Cheers! Cheers to you! Health ! We want to understand. The family does not blame the aggressor, she knows he’s sick. There’s a question everyone is asking. For what ? Why did they put a schizophrenic in the room? The hospital knew that
the patient was schizophrenic. That day, he arrived at the emergency room because he heard voices. They forced him to jump
out of his apartment window. That’s how he broke his foot. When his mother drops him off at the hospital, he’s still
in the middle of a delirious crisis. He was talking nonsense. It was incoherent,
he was afraid of everything, of everyone. It was the moment
when we felt like that everyone wanted to kill him. At the emergency room,
she alerts the on-call psychiatrist that his son is schizophrenic, that he hasn’t taken his treatment for two months. He went to see if my son wanted to take it back. Five minutes later,
he came back to see me saying that my son didn’t want his shot. It stopped there. What I don’t understand, is that every psychiatrist
knows that treatment of this kind, which is heavy, interrupted, there are risks behind it. I don’t understand
why he didn’t do anything and that he put him
with someone. Honestly, I didn’t understand. A few hours later, he attacked his roommate. Did the psychiatrist make a mistake? A few days ago, the administrative court of Chambéry acknowledged the hospital’s fault. As for the attacker, he was found not responsible. As always
in these cases, he is therefore not sentenced
to a prison term, but sent to a psychiatric hospital. After two years, His doctor and the prefect
decided that he could leave. He just has to go back every two weeks. to take his treatment. Dangerous schizophrenics
are not subject to justice. To treat them,
they are placed in units for difficult patients. In France, there are five. They’re not prisons,
but they look like them. In Avignon, the city wall rises to more than five meters. A fence and a ditch deter
the most daring patients. It’s rare to be able to film behind this door. Here, safety is an obsession. Every morning, when the nurses start their shift, They are equipped
with an alarm system. It’s the first action of their day. Every time
we pass a door, for example, come and see, we have sensors, We have sensors there. Every time we pass,
it beeps. You heard the beep. If we are outside, same, it makes a beep. This system is a GPS location system. If Geneviève, the nurse, is attacked, His colleagues know where it’s going. If there ever is a fight, let’s go there, we press
the little button. It’s a general call. We have pavilions
that are with us and who come as reinforcements. Behind every door,
there’s a dangerous patient. Some have already killed, others are unable to live in a traditional psychiatric hospital unit and even less in society. Have you taken your shower? Hello, Mustapha. Each patient
has a private room, always locked. Eric,
are you thinking about getting up? It’s time. Do they have to get up? Yes, because there is a regulation. and there’s breakfast waiting for them. They take the time
to take a shower, they get up. Once patients leave their rooms, they can’t go back there. They are all identical, rudimentary and impersonal. We can see that
all the tables are sealed, stools, chairs, beds, wardrobes. In the bathroom, everything is fixed, too, the same. There is no way to tear off the tables. It can happen sometimes,
cabinet doors are ripped off, they are removed directly. Then we don’t put it back. The isolation room
is reserved for violent extremists. Even the front door is reinforced. Hello, Laurent, how are you? Did you sleep well? Nurses
never enter alone. Did you sleep well? Good morning.
– You have a blood test this morning. You have a nice black eye. Hello, Laurent. What did you do again, Laurent? No, I was walking. It’s what ? Have you seen the look on your face? This schizophrenic
has a swollen face. He did this to himself last night. Even with heavy treatment, he can’t help but attack others or to blame himself. You’re coming with us, Laurent. We’ll take your shower,
you’ll have time to shower. I’ll give you
clean pajamas. It’ll be OK ? In the isolation room,
there is no shower. For Laurent to wash, The nurses escort him to his room. An uninhabitable room since there’s this big hole in the wall. You’re not taking the door either.
– Will it be okay? He got a little excited on the wall and he broke the wall. Headbutting. These things happen. You take your shower, you pay attention. All right ? Yes. Discreetly, Franck is monitoring this high-risk patient. Now we see if he showers properly and if he doesn’t do anything stupid, since he is in isolation. Go ahead, pass. I want to take my medicine. You’re not going to get ahead of everyone. Yes?
– Yes. Yes, you are the king. Come on, since you’re here. Four times a day, Geneviève distributes
the pre-prepared medications. In this kind of unity, The treatments are much more severe
than in a psychiatric hospital. It wasn’t too long. No. Well, we’re saved. Each patient
has their own little habits. With François,
you mustn’t talk, otherwise he gets angry. So ! It made you feel good. Did you see? Come on, go have lunch now. Let it go, There are still people behind you. Gaël is very careful about who he takes. Why is it white? Yes.
I don’t know. Am I disgusting? I don’t know, ask Christine. Why is his pastis white? Some patients don’t want to take the treatment? Yes.
– How do you do it? We call for reinforcements. We’re getting there anyway. We try to take it. For my part, I try to laugh it off. There, I said, here, go on, drink your Pastis, It might work. The most recalcitrant are those in isolation. He will take it, then,
there are some who reject it too. When you give
medicines like that, We close the courtyard door and the toilet door. They say they’re going to the bathroom, then they throw it up. Why don’t they want to take their treatment in general? Psychiatric patients, for them, are not sick. When we are not even sick, Why do you want us to take medication? So far, so logical. It’s either that or injections. When they took one or two in the buttocks, They prefer to resume their medication. The days are punctuated by meals. This is the only time
when patients are in the same place
at the same time. All the more reason to be extra vigilant. There is salad too. You only distributed spoons. There are no forks.
– No, because in the end, It’s for safety reasons, so there are only spoons. The patients
don’t talk to each other. They eat
in a heavy silence. The medications cause this slowness and tremors. This calm is precarious. Nurses know this. In the middle of the meal,
at the back of the room, things got out of hand. A patient hits a nurse. There you go, you see? We knew that. François, come on. What’s wrong with you, my friend? His glass
in the bathroom over there. There’s the glass with the spoon
in the bathroom. François was immediately restrained and taken out of the dining hall. At the slightest outburst of violence, punishment is immediate. We isolate him in his room
and put him in his pajamas. François, that day
didn’t make things easy for them. He lets himself go completely. What happened? You were buttoned up
just now, François. You stay in the room. You’re going to rest a little. Okay? He went to the bathroom
with his glass and spoon. I told him to go back to his seat, but he didn’t accept. Why did he take his glass and spoon? For known reasons? We don’t know. It goes up as fast
as it goes down. And now it’s quiet. Now everything is fine, then it can start again very quickly. Always be on the alert. The end of lunch
passes peacefully. As at the end of every meal,
no one moves before the nurses
had collected fifteen glasses, 15 plates
and as many spoons. Goodbye, gentlemen. THANKS. During the day, the patient universe
is reduced to the common room and the small adjoining courtyard. Activities are rare. On average, patients spend nine months in UMD. For four years now, patient space has been more than reduced, because the yard is under construction. Right next door, Workers are building a new, state-of-the-art UMD. Here, no laces or shoes,
again, a question of safety. All these restrictions added to the power of the treatments end up by taming
the illness and its psychoses. This is the case of Fouad, 37 years old. He feels better
for the first time in his life. Last year,
I cut my wrists, my throat. I was really not well. Since I’ve been here,
it’s really helped me a lot. It allows me to forget,
to relieve my stress, to spend my time
digging deeper into myself. Instead of internalizing,
I externalize all the misdeeds that there is at the bottom. Eric is very angry. He’s been pacing for six months in these few square meters. He just learned that he’s not leaving here anytime soon. There, I do it again for six months. For what ? I don’t know.
They appointed a commission. It is the commission that chooses whether we are free or not. Do you feel better
than when you arrived? No, it’s the same. Same.
– Yes. How do you see yourself? Personally ? Dangerous madman. It is a commission
composed of several psychiatrists who decides
on the discharge of patients. Additional protection, The prefect must also give his approval. The release
is not immediate. The patient will have to return to the psychiatric hospital to learn to live in society. Come on, enjoy your meal! Do you want a piece of cheese or not? Yes, I want to.
– Okay. I’ll bring you a piece of cheese. When doctors decide to discharge this type of patient, Are they sure
they no longer pose a risk? Doctor Pendelon, UMD psychiatrist, regularly assesses the condition of each patient. There, he is very happy. That day,
he wants to understand why Laurent smashed a wall with his head. Hello, Laurent! This is Doctor Pendelon, Laurent. Good morning ! Sit down for a moment so we can watch. Come this way. Where does it hurt, Laurent? I don’t feel any pain.
– Doesn’t it hurt? No. Tell us what happened? I had a nightmare
or something. During these nightmares,
what happens? You don’t remember that you hit each other during the nightmare?
– No. In the morning,
you don’t remember anything? No, nothing. Do you wake up
with eyes like that? Yes. The bedroom wall, the headbutt, do you remember that? Yes. What happened to you? I did it voluntarily. Voluntarily. I have voices that command me. They told me that
if I did it, It would be better after. Are these the voices telling you that?
– Yes. Hit the wall.
– Yes. Or hit the head. They tell me to hit the wall. They just tell you that, break the wall with your head. I can’t refuse. You can’t resist that. No. Don’t cry, my friend. One day, Laurent, Like all patients,
will be discharged from the UMD. You will be reassured. When will he be ready to live outside? His psychiatrist recognizes that such a decision
is complicated to make. These patients need to be better cared for, and no longer locked up. There will always be unfortunately patients who will run away There will always be
exceptionally, patients
who attack someone. I always want to make that clear. Zero risk
in psychiatry, not only does it not exist, but zero risk would be a paranoid position, mirrored with the paranoids that we have. In France, The number of dangerous schizophrenics is increasing. To be accepted
at UMD Avignon, There is a three-month waiting list. To respond to all these requests, the public authorities
have decided to build four new units
for difficult patients.