The Cédric Prizzon affair, this ex-police officer arrested in Portugal after a deadly journey, leaves behind two collateral victims: a 12-year-old boy and an 18-month-old girl. The first would have been forced to attend the burial of the bodies.
For these minors, the shock is not only emotional, it is traumatic. Between emergency care and need for stabilization, how can we support these children whose lives have been turned upside down?
A medico-psychological emergency to prevent after-effects
For psychiatrist Muriel Salmona, whose comments are reported by BFM TVit is a “medical-psychological emergency, such as a heart attack“. Without intervention, internal injuries can cause serious problems throughout life. The challenge is to treat the psychotrauma before it becomes lastingly anchored.
Accessed by True Medicalclinical psychologist Amélie Boukhobza tempers this notion of urgency. “Intervening quickly does not mean intervening in an intrusive or massive manner. It does not mean getting people to talk at all costs, nor getting the story out immediately.”
According to her, the absolute priority is to secure the child and restore the framework before starting any therapeutic work.
The dissociative state: when the brain “disconnects”
Faced with the unbearable, the victims’ brains can put in place a defense mechanism: dissociation. The child then seems cut off from his emotions, he can play or smile normally. “It is paradoxically a clinical sign of extreme seriousness“, warns Dr Salmona.
Amélie Boukhobza specifies that we must remain cautious in the face of these reactions. “Some will present completely normal acute reactions: stupefaction, agitation, silence… this is not necessarily pathological“. The risk, according to the expert, would be to “over-psychologize too quickly” and medicalize a reaction which is first and foremost a normal response to horror.
Securing the environment: the first pillar of reconstruction
Even before specialized care, those around you play a crucial role. The children’s judge will have to decide on their placement, ideally avoiding the father’s family to prevent any ambivalence.
“What matters above all is securing the child (physically and emotionally), setting the framework, containing anything that can spill over. In other words, before treating anything, we stabilize”, underlines Amélie Boukhobza.
For her, it is essential to “restore a reliable environment with stable, present adults who do not collapse themselves.”
Long-term risks: from depression to cognitive disorders
If the trauma is not accompanied, the consequences can be multiple:
- Behavioral disorders: hyper-vigilance, self-censorship, violent behavior;
- Cognitive disorders: difficulties with memorization, concentration and learning;
- Impact on physical health: increased risks of cardiovascular diseases or cancers in adulthood;
- Psychological pathologies: depression, addictions, or suicidal behavior.
Propose rather than impose, the role of the therapist
Resilience depends on the speed of protection, but also on the quality of monitoring. Amélie Boukhobza insists on respecting the child’s temporality. “Silence is not a problem in itself. It is often a protection. So we respect that, the time necessary“.
She recommends “propose – and not impose – a space to speak” with professionals trained in trauma (using for example EMDR), but only at the “right time”, once the acute crisis phase has passed and the child feels safe.
The care of children who are co-victims of feminicide is a public health challenge. If access to specialized care sometimes remains difficult within the ASE, the link between immediate protection and psychological monitoring respectful of the child’s rhythm remains the key to allowing them, one day, to rebuild their lives.