Bipolar Nurses

LanaBanana · Apr 3, 2006

State boards required me to go to counseling for 3 months and the Dr. send in reports, and my DON sends in quarterly reports on job performance (for 1 year) and after that, i'll be off of supervision.

I'm just curious, but was this to get your initial license or because of problems? I know the licensing application asks about mental illness but I was hoping to not have a big hassle about it. It's still a year off for me, but I'd rather know up front if there will be issues. Going to counseling isn't an issue for me - I continue to go at least once a month, and usually every 2-3 weeks just to keep myself in check.

tigereye71 · Apr 3, 2006

Thank you all for the posts, I am currently awaiting to take my boards, and am also manic depressed or bipolar. I have not had any episodes in 4 years. But I can tell when I am about to have a problem, I go off to myself and meditate. But I have not told my friends or former classmates because many people think we bipolar people are stark raving mad crazy people. And it is so not true, like many of you said it is the same as having a disease like DM or Lupus. Thanks for the encouragement. :):)

esperanza143 · Apr 20, 2006

Hi to all who have posted here...I read with great interest your comments.

Next month I am speaking with a co-worker who is my clinical educator, long time friend RN who is bi-polar. We are speaking about our story...not as a technical researched based teaching session.

My portion is about not seeing the forest for the trees.....you know my angle....watching her deteriorate before our eyes, because she was always the lively fun one....and all knowing better....doing nothing about it....I am interested to hear if you had your first episode while already working...how co-workers helped or did not help.

BTW we are both 25 yr plus mental health experience...and being in the trenches still did not help...thanks

grannynurse FNP student · Apr 20, 2006

I have been bipolar since I was 19 years old, only I was misdiagnosed and treated for more then 15 years. I was fairly stable until the 90s. Had repeated hosptilizations. My past experience was to keep my diagnose under wraps. Not now. I have been stable for ten years. I know when I am going a little manic and get a L level. Good luck

Grannynurse:balloons:

gr8rnpjt, RN · Apr 20, 2006

Funny thing, most male nurses I know seem to turn out to be bipolar. I wonder what the connection is, they were all really nice guys, but all seemed to be a bit "off". Then I eventually found out they had psych disorders. One was bipolar and depressive, one had a tendency towards mania. They are all great nurses, too. :biggringi

tigereye71 · Aug 15, 2006

Thank for all the support, I passed my boards with flying colors and have not had an episode in 5 years. Although I work for a temporary service so I am able to judge the times when it may not be a good day for me. I will try to not get so over whelmed and get a fulltime job, but I am working towards my RN through Excelsor College. So wish me luck

annmarie899 · May 7, 2010

Just picked up this thread. I AM a bipolar nurse, recently diagnosed at age 56. Now 58, and working on my DrNP degree. I have always had very good work evaluations - somewhat of an overachiever. Problems with sleep, however.

Bipolar disorder (II) gives us alot of energy that we need to channel. Many famous and creative people have it: google 'famous people with bipolar disorder'. It's amazing. I am doing well on topamax and pristiq, and a little ativan to sleep at night. There is alot of controversy in the literature about antidepressants in bipolar disorder; some experts say to avoid as they can bring on mania. However, when taking just a mood stabilizer (topamax) I became very depressed, and needed the antidepressent.

I have an awesome psychiatrist - and I can't stress enough how important it is to have one that you LIKE and TRUST. If not - you won't go back, and you won't have the right medication treatment.

I feel 'normal' now - but absolutely will NOT sleep on my own, hence the ativan at night. It's all chemical. Gone are the days of staying up all night ( my energy level peaks at 11 pm, and then I'm up all night until around 5 am.)

This would always cause some very bad days at work, with 'catching up on sleep' the next day.

Nothing wrong with being bipolar, but there is a very high medication nonadherence rate of 40-60% ( stigma? stubbornness? forgetfullness?) which makes morbidity very high, causing lots of problems in employment, relationships, and social life.

I'll be doing my doctoral dissertation on bipolar disorder, so am in the midst of all this research. . . .

annmarie

Orca, ADN, ASN, RN · May 7, 2010

Do you know any bipolar nurses? Would you be uncomfortable working with one? Has their disorder interfered in their patient care?

I know of one instance when it did. I worked with a bipolar nurse who always seemed to be finished with her pill pass and morning rounds at least an hour before any of the rest of us, then she would sit reading a magazine in the nurse station while we finished our morning duties. We found out that she was skipping taped report and omitting med order verification in order to get a head start. She bragged about how she was bipolar, "but I don't need medication anymore." She didn't last long.

As for being comfortable working with a bipolar nurse - I have worked with several, and I am fine with it as long as their condition doesn't interfere with their work.

annmarie899 · May 7, 2010

Yikes. Grandiose thinking is pretty typical of bipolar - especially off meds. The feeling of being able to 'climb mountains' and rule the world - happens at all levels of the bipolar spectrum, depending on where you are from bipolar I through II ( and now there may be bipolar III and IV in the DSM V) And the literature is currently looking at insight ( or the phenomenal lack of insight) in bipolar disorder. This nurse obviously had poor insight into her BPD, and was not taking her meds. It seems it caught up with her. I hope that she eventually decided to stay on her medications.

I have an instructor who is bipolar, who has a PhD. She told me in the strictist confidence because I was having some difficulty in one of my classes.

I have read Kay Redfield Jamison's books and articles, and found the article she referred to about physician suicide, "Suicide and Burnout of Physicians' by Sonneck and Wagner, 1996. At the time of publication, it states the number of physicians who commit suicide are the equivalent of an entire graduating medical school class. This study was done in Europe, there were none in the U.S. A 'conspiracy of silence' does exist, after all, health care is big business, and physician (and nurse) burnout is not good for business.

But I digress. Dr. Jamison notes that physicians also have a high rate of bipolar disorder, which is in itself a high risk for suicide. I can find no studies on nurses with bipolar disorder - this is not being looked at. I think it should be. I believe there are just as many nurses with bipolar disorder as there are physicians with bipolar disorder, and it should be studied. Just as physicians have programs for assistance with psychiatric disorders, so should nurses.

Right now there is too much stigma, fear of marginalization, and 'conspiracy of silence' for nurses to be more open about having a psychiatric disorder.

thanks for your comments,

annmarie

cmonkey · May 7, 2010

I suggest reading:
"An Uniquiet Mind" by Dr Kay Jamison, Phd(Psychology)
She suffers from Bipolar disorder, & has
achieved a prestigious career as a Professor @ Johns Hopkins Univ -
a great read.

Read anything you can get by her. She's wonderful!

mustlovepoodles, RN · May 7, 2010

Thanks so much for the words of encouragement! I had somewhat of a "break down" (for lack of a better word) last year, and was diagnosed with mild bipolar II. A lot of people have been telling me to find another career, but I believe the nursing field is my calling from God.

I had a breakdown about 18 months ago, was hospitalized, and diagnosed (finally!) with bipolar 2 and an anxiety disorder. Unfortunately, I destabilized about 3 months later and was re-hospitalized,but this time I got put on the right meds and had much more intensive treatment. If anything, this experience has made me more aware of the whole mental health community and the struggles of people who suffer from mental illness and addiction.

In my case, I was unable to work for about a year. My breakdown took place at work(both times!) and I was very embarrassed. But more that that, I felt fragile. Just walking into my former place of work made me hyperventilate and feel claustrophobic! So I decided that maybe my nursing career was truly over. I took a year and worked on my recovery. I took a college class(Spanish) and started volunteering at a food bank. I began an exercise program and got my physical health under control. Lost about 50-lbs. And then, right before Christmas another job landed in my lap! A friend recommended me, the interview went well, and I got a great job doing what I love--school nursing.

I have learned this year the importance of taking my meds *as ordered*. In the past I have been known to be non-compliant and would often "mis-use" my drugs(and my family's!) Because I feel so much better, now I recognise how my meds keep me stable. I take my meds daily, have therapy weekly, attend support groups, and continue with diet & exercise. I have learned how to be kind to myself and how to ward off relapse. I feel like a completely different person!

One word of caution: Don't tell people you work with that you are bipolar. There is an incredible amount of misinformation and stigma out there. Only tell those people who NEED to know. No one at my current school has any idea that I live with mental illness. They are nice people, but I can't help but think that their opinios of me might change if they knew. I don't need that kind of stress. Now that I have some coping skills and insight, I can usually tell if I'm getting off-balance. And if I don't, I have people around me who love me, whose advice I trust, who will tell me if they see me behaving differently. I have learned to trust that they have my best interest at heart and I seek relief early instead of waiting until things are out of control. And that's a whole new idea for me. :nurse:

cherrybreeze, ADN, RN · May 8, 2010

I am an RN of nine years, and have a long-standing history of severe depression (starting in my teens or early 20's). I was just recently diagnosed with Bipolar II. Contrary to the stereotypical ideas of bipolar disorder, Bipolar II usually does NOT mean having "delusions of grandeur," etc. I was noticing that I was incredibly irritable, all of the time, and that sleep is impossible without some sort of med. I would then be groggy and oversleep, from not being able to sleep all through the night (even if I had an early morning and busy day, before going to bed). My previous psychiatrist had retired, and I had not gotten reestablished with a new one, and finally did when I noticed all of these symptoms, depression included, worsening. He upped my antidepressant dose, and started me on a mood stabilizer. I am working up to a theraputic dose, and hopeful for success....I was (am?) afraid that this irritability might cost me my job, as I knew I could be difficult to deal with but honestly just did not know how to handle it, and couldn't control it on my own without knowing why not.

A nurse with Bipolar disorder (or any other mental condition, IMO), can be a successful nurse as long as they recognize their symptoms, and act accordingly to manage them.