Testify differently to break taboos and prejudices about mental illnesses, this is the goal of the Psycyclette passing through Lannemezan.
Since June 5 and until today, June 16, Unafam, the National Union of Families and Friends of Sick and/or Mentally Handicapped People, has organized the 9th edition of the Psycyclette event, “a 1 400 km against received ideas and a daring challenge: cycle the roads of France, negotiate bends, climb hills and descend them. Just like in life”. The stage that took the participants from Montérjeau to Auch was the occasion for a stopover at the Lannemezan hospital where these athletes, finally like the others, were welcomed by the establishment’s officials and, first at , its director, Yasmina Gayrard.
The opportunity to welcome this festive ride which brings together people living with mental disorders, relatives, caregivers, UNAFAM volunteers and experienced cycling friends, i.e. more than forty cyclists. Christian is part of the regional delegation of this national association: “The stages change every year and this cycle ride has been taking place for 10 years now. Unafam welcomes people who discover psychological problems in their loved ones. The entourage counts a lot , it’s not just the treatment. It is necessary to separate the person from the disease that affects him. This is the first time that the Psycyclette has stopped here”.
“Do things rather than go around in circles”
It was in the Marchand hospital in Toulouse that this cycling tour was born: “Initially, we made the trip from Toulouse to Paris, then we decentralized and we do a different loop each year. is a personal challenge for the participants and for those who are being treated for mental disorders. It is a joy for them to feel useful, to do things, to play sports, rather than going around in circles”.
Michel Lacan, it is not invented, is the head of Unafam 31: “We have been organizing the psycyclette for ten years, it restores self-confidence to patients, they meet other people, it also allows fight against the stigma they often face. The group is made up of patients, but also caregivers, relatives and citizens. We are all the same and that is how society should be. There is really a feeling d well-being on return, great therapy and the caregiver-patient relationship, it’s not the same during the psycyclette, they are in contact with patients other than during a consultation, it’s quite great”.
A first in Lannemezan welcomed with pleasure by the director of the hospital establishment: “I welcome you. Mental health is something that speaks to us. We can welcome you every year! We also need to go out outside the walls, we are delighted to be with you and we are ready to accompany you on other projects”.
After a snack and a time to rest, the “psychcyclists” took to the road again, under the sun, with a smile on their face, towards Auch in the Gers and, in the peloton, it was difficult to distinguish who the sick, the caregivers were. or the others, proof of a successful 2023 edition.