Irene Headthe Guarantor of the rights of persons deprived of their personal liberty, had visited the assistance facility for the disabled in Cortoghiana, in Sulcis-Iglesiente. And there he was able to see for himself what the conditions in which it has been held for sixteen years Bruno, suffering from pica (a pathology that leads him to ingest everything). The man, 50, is being held with his hands tied and a mask over his face like that of Hannibal Lecterthe serial killer protagonist of the novels of Thomas Harris. “A treatment that appears closer to the concept of torture than to that of cure”, he says Testa.
“I waited a day before putting pen to paper what I saw at the Aias Cortoghiana . One day to recover – he confesses – give it scenario chilling and creepy that I found myself in front of”. “Bruno – explains the Guarantor – he is affected by pica, a pathology that leads him to ingest anything that comes his way. From beyond sixteen years is kept all day tied up for mani, with a helmet on his head. Apparently not because dangerous towards others, but towards himself“. Bruno’s is a I disturb rather rare of eating behavior characterized by eating regularly inedible thingscome cartaclay, dirt or hair. Usually what the picacista eats does not harm his health. However, sometimes that assumes cause complicationscome constipationdigestive tract blockage, lead poisoning from eating bits of paintor parasitic infection from ingesting soil.
“I am not a medico and it’s not up to me to give recipes, perhaps with a simplistic flavor because they are guided by an emotional wave – Testa clarifies – I am the guarantor of people deprived of their personal freedom and precisely of people, of individual cases, I have the duty to take care of me. So I’m not referring to the structurebut to a specific case of a guest to his own internalactually already raised a few years ago by the president of Unasam, the national union of mental health associations, Gisella Trincasbut also subject to exposed to Searchof letters to the then Minister of Health Hope and of questions in the Sardinian regional council“.
“I am not resigning myself – assures the Ensures – I can only accept one sick person be subjected to a treatment which appears closest to the concept of torture than to that of treatment. However, this is not the time for indignation but for the concrete and rapid action of all the institutional actors who can make a contribution to changing this situation. This is a sort of appeal: we have to do it for Bruno and for all the other Brunos”.