A mask to cover his face and his hands tied have been the only treatment that a 50-year-old psychiatric patient admitted to a center on the Italian island of Sardinia has received for 16 years, as denounced by the new guarantor for people deprived of liberty in that region, Irene Testa.
"I cannot accept (...) a treatment that seems closer to the concept of torture than to assistance," Testa said when publicly revealing the situation of Bruno, who suffers from pica, an eating disorder that leads him to eat non-nutritious substances , such as earth, chalk, cotton, glue or ash, as well as small objects.
The guarantor visited him a few days ago at the Aias de Cortoghiana center, where he has been hospitalized for 24 years, after receiving a complaint about his treatment, which includes an iron mask reminiscent of the one worn by Hannibal Lecter, the serial killer protagonist of the film 'The silence of the lambs'.
He then posted several photos on his social media. "I waited a day before putting in writing what I saw at the Aias facilities in Cordoghiana. A day to recover from the chilling and terrifying scenario that I found myself," Testa said, insisting that Bruno "is not a criminal but a sick person You have to change your treatment plan immediately."
"For more than 16 years, they have kept his hands tied all day, with a helmet on his head. Apparently, not because he is dangerous for others, but for himself," he added, since this disorder can cause complications to those who suffer from it, such as obstruction of the digestive tract, poisoning or parasitic infection.
Bruno's case had already been denounced some time ago by the president of the National Union of Associations for Mental Health, Gisella Trincas, and the Prosecutor's Office, the former Minister of Health Roberto Speranza and the Regional Council of Sardinia were also notified, according to Test. "I am not resigned, I cannot accept that a patient is subjected to a treatment that seems closer to the concept of torture than to care," said the Guarantor this Friday, who insisted that she was not referring to the entire center, but to a specific case within it.
"But this is not the time to be outraged, but rather for concrete and quick action by all the institutional actors who can contribute to changing this situation. It is a kind of appeal: we have to do it for Bruno and for all the other Brunos", concluded.
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