This creation follows an “alarming 40% increase in admissions of adolescents in crisis since the pandemic. We reached a plateau that has never declined. This distress must be urgently taken into account,” insists Doctor Alice Letessier, head of center 4 of child psychiatry.
“Be there in the best moments”
The CHP already had two rooms reserved for minors, set up a year ago, within the crisis reception and admission unit. In this comprehensive hospitalization space, young people arriving in crisis are seen by a nurse and a psychiatrist.
They are then redirected towards the Tamaris, installed just opposite. This crisis center takes care of adolescents aged 13 to 17 in acute crisis situations corresponding in particular to suicidal acts, anxiety-depressive disorders or psychological decompensations (read below).
This unit will allow professionals “to be there for the big moments, particularly during the pre-school period which is always problematic”, underlines Doctor Alice Letessier.
The editorial team advises you
Doctor Alice Letessier is head of the child psychiatry unit.
Rodolphe Martin
Rodolphe Martin
The crisis center will have a park for outdoor activities.
Rodolphe Martin
The center was inaugurated this Tuesday, December 17.
The objective of this crisis center is to promote rapid relief, carry out an in-depth clinical assessment and offer appropriate treatment in a structured therapeutic framework.
If their condition requires continued hospitalization, adolescents may be admitted to the already existing Capucines unit. It has 9 beds.
Finally, the Mont-Vert institute in Jurançon is aimed at peaceful young people, aged 13 to 21, who need time to get back on their feet. Coming from all over the region, these adolescents can stay there for between 1 and 3 years. Care and studies combine in this unit which accommodates no more than 17 people admitted “on cover letter”.
“The crisis center was really the missing link, which will allow us immediate treatment. It should make the journeys more fluid,” hopes Jamel Fedlaoui, health manager of the infant-juvenile center. Who does not forget the 3,000 young people supported by different outpatient structures in the Béarn and Soule region.
Specific funding from the ARS
The crisis center for adolescents at the Pyrénées hospital center received specific funding from the regional health agency (ARS) to the tune of 878,000 euros. “This is the first unit of this type in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques territory,” welcomed Alain Guinamant, the departmental director of the ARS.
This amount includes the renovation of the building for 465,000 euros including tax. The work, which began in May, was completed just before Christmas. The project was carried out by teams from the CHP technical services and external companies.
What does the Tamaris unit look like?
The Tamaris unit, located at the entrance to the Pyrenees hospital center (CHP) extends over 200m2. It has four bedrooms. A fifth will soon be fitted out in what is currently an office. The latter will move to the medical management center, the renovation of which should be completed at the end of 2025.
Young people aged 13 to 17 will have access to a park. Television and activity rooms will allow them to get together, “even if the care is done in the room, just like the meals, for truly individualized follow-up. Some young people when they arrive at the CHP forget why they came when they meet in a group,” has already noted Jamel Fedlaoui, senior health executive. “What matters is the exit. We must help these young people to cope with their own resources and their difficulties. This environment is so far removed from reality that some people forget that reality is outside,” adds Dr. Alice Letessier. The unit is therefore only accessible for short stays, of 10 days, renewable once.
In the event of a crisis, a sensory space equipped with sounds and lights has been designed to promote calm.
To prevent tensions, specific techniques will be implemented, such as workshops for expressing and managing emotions or even bodily approaches (yoga, relaxation).
The care of adolescents in crisis will be intensive and individualized, mobilizing a team of nine professionals (two of whom were recruited externally) composed of a child psychiatrist, a specialized educator and nurses, all specially trained in crisis management. “This team is trained, adapted to this population. Who needs reassurance, recognition,” notes the head of center 4 of child psychiatry.
