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Amélie Boukhobza (Clinical psychologist)
At the end of last week, the body of a 7-year-old child and that of his mother were discovered in Finistère. According to the Quimper public prosecutor’s office, it was an infanticide, followed by suicide. How can we get there? The psychologist, Amélie Boukhobza, enlightens us.
A 7-year-old child was discovered dead in a vehicle in Crozon, in Finistère, at the end of last week. A few hours later, his mother’s body was discovered on a beach. The Quimper prosecutor’s office suggests an infanticide, followed by a suicide.
A mother who ends her life, after having taken the life of her child
“The most likely scenario is that of a mother who killed her child before commit suicide” indicates the Quimper public prosecutor’s office. “The seven-year-old boy was found dead in his mother’s vehicle parked alongside a coastal path on the edge of a cliff” still according to the same source. The body of the mother was discovered several hours later, on a beach in a neighboring town.
Beyond this tragedy, the question that arises is the following: how can a mother end up killing her own child and subsequently committing suicide? For our expert, “here we enter a complex subject, where words themselves are no longer enough to grasp everything”.
According to Amélie Boukhobza, several factors can explain the fact of getting to this point: “An emotional loneliness, an depression severe, a feeling of total helplessness, a derailment…: we are talking about a suffering so deep that it makes one lose all reference, even the link to the life of one’s own child.
A gesture of despair, when we no longer see any other way out
This gesture is therefore that of a parent (a mother in this case), losing all hope, to the point of not seeing any other way out. “This kind of gesture can only occur in moments when the parent has the impression that life itself has become totally insurmountable. Life no longer has meaning, there is no future, no hope, the distress is such that death can come as a ‘solution’ to put an end to infinite suffering. further details the psychologist.
“It is obviously not rational, nor conscious, but it is the result of a profound disorder, of a state of psychological despair where everything collapses. A bit like the chain of a bicycle that goes off the rails, nothing anymore can stop it”
Could this type of tragedy be avoided?
In the case of this news item, there is nothing to indicate that this woman and her son had relatives. However, what are the warning signs that can show us that this neighbor, this acquaintance, is not doing well? Difficult to detect, for our specialist. “We must not forget that these situations of total disruption of meaning are rarely visible at first glance.” notes Amélie Boukhobza again. “In addition, isolationexhaustion, lack of family or social support can create a climate that only fuels this spiral. she concludes.
Slide: The main causes of depression