Do we need to take drugs.. in order to do our job?

cdsga · Mar 8, 2012

quote from dbsa (depression and bipolar support alliance):

"depression is a treatable illness marked by changes in mood, thought and behavior. it affects people of all ages, races, ethnic groups and social classes. although it can occur at any age, the illness often surfaces between the ages of 25 and 44. the "lifetime prevalence" of depression is 24 percent for women and 15 percent for men. this means that, at some point in their lives, 24 percent of women and 15 percent of men will experience an episode of major depression."

that is quite alot of people. so someone you know probably is on some sort of medication to treat this mood disorder and i'm sure not all those people are willing to openly talk about it in public. it's still a disorder that brings alot of shame and guilt for those not able to cope without treatment. the stigma attached to this type of disorder even within the compassionate profession of nursing has been substantiated by some of the comments in this thread.

i would hope that all people would be "strong enough" to handle things without medication and therapy, and i would be grateful if i never had this type of disorder. but there are many folks that don't have the ability to deal with stress or issues without treatment.

it would be nice to express opinions here without calling names or acting superior, because everyone of us could have a series of life events, chemical imbalance, endocrine dysfunction or even head injury or heart problem that would cause a mood disorder to develop. it's not all weakness in coping.

RiverNurse · Mar 8, 2012

"instead of placing blame on nurses that resort to this kind of coping, what about the system of nursing needs to change to support nurses in coping? "
this begs the question that nursing is sooo special that only nurses have this sort of pressure, and only nursing has to change to support them.* i do not believe that the massive pharmacological bonanza that has been the last decade or so can be accounted for only by nety or other stresses particular only to nursing. it's an attractive argument for a lot of people, clearly, but there's no evidence to support its underlying assumption.
*"begging the question" is a form of logical fallacy in which a statement or claim is assumed to be true without evidence other than the statement or claim itself. when one begs the question, the initial assumption of a statement is treated as already proven without any logic to show why the statement is true in the first place. beg the question // get it right.

true. my mother always told me beggars can't be choosers. thanks for reminding me. seems nursing, in addition to burning me out, has dulled me intellectually as well. guess i'll need to dig out my wittgenstein or foucault to try to reinvigorate myself!

back to topic - while it may be good old fashioned capitalism, my subjective opinion is that the system/economy/nursing by its nature exploits the employee/nurse. just maintaining our own health, mental and otherwise, feels like swimming upstream. i know, for a fact, having been in the information technology industry for 12 years before entering the nursing profession, that nursing is not the only profession that is subject to high levels of stress and long work hours. however, i don't recall being hit, yanked, spat or vomited upon during my years in i.t., nor was i informed in nursing school to what extent i would encounter situations such as these. as i have said on numerous occasions, had i been truly informed as to what nursing is - and is not - i never would have chosen this as a second career.

for myself, taking psych meds for depression is simply to manage the rat race of nursing. early in my life (i've been melancholy since about 8 years old) i learned to accept my lifelong depression as a peculiar constant companion of sorts. in those days, taking medication in lieu of creatively managing the depression was not an option. i didn't see the point in taking medication. it seemed during those times i was my most creative - and that is not an uncommon sentiment, i'm sure.

at this point, i have resigned my position at work. there is a good likelihood that i will be exiting the nursing profession. i can use my talents in a better, healthier way - elsewhere.

rivernurse

cdsga · Mar 8, 2012

As far as "begging the question" entry-I don't understand. Guess I'm too practical and literal. If I hear a statement and it is based on some crazy logic then I would say (probably not use the phrase) this statement begs the question Why? What? Where? When? and How? Why use the phrase if you already know the answer? See I'm too literal. Is anybody out there? LOL:rolleyes:

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Mar 8, 2012

quote from dbsa (depression and bipolar support alliance):
"depression is a treatable illness marked by changes in mood, thought and behavior. it affects people of all ages, races, ethnic groups and social classes. although it can occur at any age, the illness often surfaces between the ages of 25 and 44. the "lifetime prevalence" of depression is 24 percent for women and 15 percent for men. this means that, at some point in their lives, 24 percent of women and 15 percent of men will experience an episode of major depression."
that is quite alot of people. so someone you know probably is on some sort of medication to treat this mood disorder and i'm sure not all those people are willing to openly talk about it in public. it's still a disorder that brings alot of shame and guilt for those not able to cope without treatment. the stigma attached to this type of disorder even within the compassionate profession of nursing has been substantiated by some of the comments in this thread.
i would hope that all people would be "strong enough" to handle things without medication and therapy, and i would be grateful if i never had this type of disorder. but there are many folks that don't have the ability to deal with stress or issues without treatment.
it would be nice to express opinions here without calling names or acting superior, because everyone of us could have a series of life events, chemical imbalance, endocrine dysfunction or even head injury or heart problem that would cause a mood disorder to develop. it's not all weakness in coping.

:bowingpur thank you for this post. you have summed it up beautifully. for those who have never had a mood disorder, it would be good to remember, "there but for the grace of god go i". they don't just happen to people who are "bad" or lacking in some vital life skill; history shows that some of the world's finest politicians, writers, artists, and yes, even nurses have suffered from depression and bipolar disorder. i mean, nobody can tell me that florence nightingale was a wimp who couldn't cope.....and yet according to some sources, she had bp. seems to me that we modern-day sufferers are in some pretty good company. :)

Gold_SJ · Mar 10, 2012

Reality is there is a lot of people suffering from a mental illness whether temporary or permanent in the workforce.

Mm and from my view point if it's prescribed, is legal, you're monitored by your psyche and it works there isn't any issue. It's like a person taking a blood pressure pill. In fact I must be medicated to work else I'm being foolish. (It's the overly happy ones that take medication holidays that are dangerous XD)

Whether people get over diagnosed by untrained doctors example a general MD instead of psychiatrist. Well...that's a whole different matter. It more than likely does happen, like antibiotics being given for virus's. It's not best practice but receiving an antidepressant is much safer then the risk of suicide.

I do commend those people who work in high stressful positions and manage to cope. It's uplifting to see and I'd never desire a person to experience the lows when you can't seem to climb back out. Even greater commendation for those that have experienced and did so medication free. Studies however say medication and therapy together is best practice in the long run.

All the same I don't think nursing causes mental illness any more than other stressful occupations as crazy as it can be at work.. Most MH I believe is genetic, predisposition in personality and life factors and experiences.

madwife2002, BSN, RN · Mar 10, 2012

At the grand old age of 50! I have been nursing since the 80's I was recently diagnosed with Depression and you couldn't have stunned me more!

I went to see my Dr, because for the first time ever I could not focus on the real issues at hand and was very quick to lose my temper, I had terrible feelings of despondence, and negativity which had never been part of my life before.

I actually thought I would lose my job if I didnt control my urges to shout at my manager.

So I started on anti-depressants in November 2011 and now here in March 2012 I am back to my 'normal' self, able to focus and makes good choices and decisions.

My thought processes are clear and I can see the larger picture again.

So my life has improved and when I look back I see that for the past few years I was probably depressed but my training and skills were able to let me function, as my job got harder, more demanding and increased expectations, my stress levels increased I was no longer able to function as effectively.

Gold_SJ · Mar 10, 2012

So glad you're feeling better Madwife! Medications with it's side affects, overly charged pricing, pharmacutical giants and all the rest really do have to be thanked for the good things they do too I think.

Nowdays there's so much pressure on people, many families need to have both partners working just to keep food on the table, there's longer hours, more accountability, more revamping in technology to keep up with. Let alone the single income families or split families. It's no wonder I think that there is higher incidences of depression in today's age (recorded anyway).

There seems to be so much more expected of people, using nurses for example with this focus on consumer delivery, client satisfactions and ratings, double and triple documentation. Jobs are more stressful I think then long ago (I wasn't there. I don't know, I'm sure work was very hard and heavy nursing back then (physically most likely harder!) as now. But it's the beaucratic stuff that's gone out there, the stuff that worries the mind.)

With the pressure and stress on many people considering the economy, I don't think the high rates of depression is going to decrease. It is a thought though on how life/goverment changes could be made somehow to help prevent it. Why is there so much more pressure? Life seems so much more fast paced (outside work) I'm told by the older nurses then it was back in their day.

I guess I think about and hear stories of people working outragous hours of 70 a week and I am horrified (I work 40), I can't imagine working such long hours. It'd drain anyone surely?

cdsga · Mar 11, 2012

We just need to be compassionate to one another and understand that all of us and any profession can suffer from depression. I'm glad that there are treatment modalities that can help people function normally. No one is immune from bouts of depression and it can happen to the best of us. It is important to be aware of warning signs and seek clarity in the situation. It's not a weakness to seek help, but rather a weakness/fear not to. So I applaud you nurses and others who are doing better and can actually see some of the beauty of life.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Mar 11, 2012

This really is a great thread. :yeah:The worst thing about mental illness of any kind is feeling like you're alone in the universe, which occurs mainly because our culture isn't comfortable talking about it.

I'm so proud of all the nurses who have posted here and admitted to suffering from depression and anxiety, whether it's work-related, genetic, situational, or all of the above. It takes a lot of courage to buck the prevailing view that seems to say that if we'd just "get over ourselves", we could restore ourselves to sanity. Don't folks know that if we could do it ourselves, we would? Nobody, but NOBODY, enjoys taking meds that have side effects like weight gain, nausea, vomiting, rashes, disturbed sleep, dizziness, dry mouth, tremors, visual disturbances, swelling, bloating, fatigue, abdominal pain, sweating, brittle hair and nails, urinary retention and other unpleasantness.....but we do it because we cannot live anything even approximating a normal life otherwise.

I'm with madwife and Gold_SJ: I am very, very thankful that medications are available that help straighten out my brain chemistry so I can work on the issues created by my illness. I've probably been bipolar all my life, but until recently had only allowed myself to believe I had depression. It was less complicated to treat and carried less stigma than BP, so it was therefore an "acceptable" diagnosis in my mind. The end result was my first mixed episode, in which I experienced acute symptoms of both mania and depression at the same time. Thankfully, after my first appointment with a doc who put me immediately at ease and who treats me as an intelligent human being, I got over the fear and shame I'd always associated with a psychiatric diagnosis, and that's why I've been able to improve fairly quickly with a combination of an antidepressant and a mood stabilizer.

Granted, I've had to face the fact that I can never go off medications again. I've done it several times, and each time I've gotten progressively worse. Some more fortunate sufferers are able to stop meds, and I'm happy for them....but if I want to feel "normal", I have to take pills. I'm lucky in that my current regimen is simple AND cheap---less than $15 per month for both scrips---and the $50 co-pay for my psychiatrist is small potatoes compared with the potential costs of losing a job, alienating a friend or family member, or being irresponsible and foolish.

:)

Guest372004 · Mar 11, 2012

I am truly amazed at the strength of all of you who are taking these meds. I look at this issue without judgement and always "if it helps, go for it". If ones blood pressure is high, take anti- hypertensives. If one is depressed, take anti-depressants. Life is short and we have one time at it. There is no reason to feel miserable and hopeless when there is help out there, even if the help is only 50%, that is better than nothing.

fuzzywuzzy, CNA · Mar 11, 2012

Not everyone who takes a pill does so because they're too lazy to "exercise it all away" or so coddled that they're unwilling to experience negative emotions.

I have a lot of anxiety, as well as seasonal affective disorder. I've been a spazz my whole life, and I know how to deal with it without taking meds.... 95% of the time. I am okay with the occasional panic attack or blue mood or intensely stressful situation. I have gotten a prescription a few times before when things got unbearable for an extended period of time. There is no reason I should be so stressed out about my job that I can't sleep at night and have panic attacks on my day off. And nothing bothers me more than hearing "it's all in your head, just get over it" when I'm horribly depressed because it's the middle of winter and the sun hasn't come out for 2 weeks. I KNOW it's all in my head-- that's the point! I can't just get over it. And at least I know that in my case, it will go away as the days get longer. I can't imagine how hopeless it must feel to be told that when you're depressed and you DON'T know if/when you're going to feel better.

elprup, BSN, RN · May 15, 2012

Provigil is big drug theses days too. I am prescribed it because of my so called narcolepsy that is gone, which is awsome, because those meds made me wacked out.