"There are no adequate public facilities in Italy to treat anorexia." It is the bitter denunciation of the parents of Lorenzo Seminatore, a twenty year old from Turin who died in early February. He no longer ate, they found him in his bed, dead in his sleep. The case, of which the Turin edition of the newspaper 'La Stampa' had already reported was taken up today by the 'Corriere Torino' and by 'la Repubblica'.
The young man had suffered from anorexia for the first time at age 14, had recovered after a period of treatment in a specialized clinic in Valle d'Aosta, at 18 years of relapse. In two years his refusal of food has become increasingly complete. "Institutions - said the father - must move: first with prevention in schools and then by investing in healthcare. There is also a lack of support for families".
"We did everything to help him, but it was not enough" said the parents, who chose to tell their story because "there are other families who are experiencing our ordeal. And we know how lonely it feels."
"We want to shake the conscience of the institutions, because it is unacceptable that in a country like Italy there are no public structures capable of welcoming and treating children like our son. In hospitals they simply park you in a ward and administer IV to integrate the potassium. Then they send you home, until the next hospitalization ", denounced Lorenzo's mother, Francesca, and father Fabio.