The documentary about the death of journalist Gaétan Girouard provokes many reactions.
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The suicide of this renowned journalist shocked Ms. Hernandez 25 years ago.
“It was a shock,” she said. “To see such a great, so popular, good-looking man go.”
Our journalist Harold Gagné visited this grieving mother to obtain her touching testimony.
She never thought she would experience such a tragedy in person. But in June 2022, his worst nightmare came true. His son Vincent took his own life when he was just 22 years old.
“You can't imagine that one day your child will be in so much pain that he will think about it,” she told TVA Nouvelles.
- Listen to Yasmine Abdelfadel's editorial as she talks about the documentary about Gaétan Girouard QUB :
This wasn't his first suicide attempt. The first happened when Vincent was only 16 years old. The young man suffered from antisocial personality disorder and autism spectrum disorder.
“We had to cure his mental cancer,” Ms. Hernandez says. “We had to do this.”
The deficiencies in the health system
Two days before his death, his psychiatrist released him from the Pierre-Le Gardeur hospital in Terrebonne, despite his mother's opposition. The doctor was of the opinion that there was no danger.
“I have not fulfilled my role as a mother,” she said. “As a mother, you protect your child from harm, from others, and I failed to do that.”
After her son's death, Ms. Hernandez explained that she found a note that Vincent took the time to write while he was still in the hospital that illustrated his despair.
Vincent's mother kept his medical records and would have liked better cooperation with the nursing staff.
“If someone has a heart attack, they call the family immediately,” she said. “A suicide attempt is radio silence and we don’t talk about it.”
She wants the health system to build appropriate centers to save other young people like Vincent. Psychiatric wards are not suitable for them.
“If you’re not healthy, ask for help,” she pleads. “I want there to be no more Vincents taking their own lives, but there are too many.”