Any nurses with mental illness?

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So I'm not going to totally divulge my diagnoses but unfortunately due to a traumatic childhood I have bad anxiety amongst other issues :/ I was just wondering if any of you battle with some form of mental illness but still make a wonderful nurse? I'm like 99% sure acute care isn't for me neither... I think I want to work in the least stressful environment as a nurse. What would you say that is? I'm thinking like working for a primary care physician in a clinic setting. Thanks!

See, this is where misconceptions and stigma arise. Bipolar, schizophrenia etc. are all biologically based. Mental illnesses are nothing more and nothing less than brain disorders, meaning simply that the dysfunction occurs in the brain, rather than in another body part such as the heart or lungs. They are physical illnesses in every sense of the word. And one shouldn't be ashamed to live with one (or more) of these. Just saying.

YES!!! ​:up: :up: :up: :up:

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I have borderline personality disorder and was able to manage 6 months in a pediatric med/surg Unit. Lol! But then again, I was without medication (I was unaware of my disorder) and juggling a new home and family responsibilities. I think it's totally doable to work in the clinical setting. But everyone is different. I work in the mental health field as an educator and even though I have some bad days, I don't totally dread my job as I did before. I think you will have to find your niche. So go ahead and apply to that job you have an eye on, and give it some time. My rule of thumb is one year, so it doesn't look tooo bad on a resume.

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Specializes in ED, Cardiac-step down, tele, med surg.

I agree, there shouldn't be stigma with any illness. I think the revised term should be brain disorder. Mental illness has too many bad connotations. I

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So what is your definition of a mental illness?

And what do you mean by "biological basis"?

I think you are all immensely courageous and possibly unaware that it's your perceptions that defines you. You appear to me to be reacting to society's interpretations of your illness and of course your own when you become afflicted.

How about realizing, that despite your affliction, how impressive you must be, to have not only overcome but succeeded. You are professionals and coping and despite defining yourself with your illness when instead it should be another definition all together.

The reason I'm phrasing this way, is because I detect perhaps wrongly, some loss of self esteem. I see you in a completely different light. I don't know at what age your illness surfaced and how it may have defined your experiences and altered your perçeptions, but I would wager based on your posts, it may have been a struggle. Mental illness DX is aligned with a stigma of sorts in our society instead of just another form of illness. It's sufferers frequently considered weak and broken. Many people let the stigma define their futures. I think you should look in the mirror and realize just how accomplished you all are! It takes serious chops and character, that very few people have, to rise above other people's perceptions of you.

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Welcome to AllNurses! I have always had problems with anxiety since childhood, though I think I've gotten a better handle on it these days. I'm surprised no one suggested public health yet, which is the field I work in. I managed to white-knuckle it through nursing school on my critical care and ICU rotations (those were some fun anxiety filled months, let me tell you..) and decided that hospital nursing wasn't for me. Luckily, the beauty of this field is that it isn't as stressful as acute care (at least, not the jobs I've had). Good luck!

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Hello Everyone,

I am not a nurse yet, but I thought that I would chime in on this discussion. I am looking at nursing programs now while I take my pre-requisites. I have been diagnosed with schizo-effective disorder for several years and I am stable. But only recently I have been diagnosed with diabetes. I would like to know is there anyone else out the who have these diagnosis and how are you handling school? And do you think that I would be able to handle the demands of nursing school?

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As long as you maintain the diabetes under control and you pace yourself, you can achieve it. I'm not gonna lie, you will have to be incredibly disciplined. An imbalance in your physiological state can lead to crisis, so taking care of yourself is very important. Nursing school is hard. Get a good look at your syllabus and organize yourself so it's not as overwhelming. Eat right, exercise, and don't procrastinate.

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Hello!

So reading your post I see a lot of similarities of how thought before I started my job. I found that doing thing that I am most terrified of was the thing that ended up setting me free.

Im 23 and a new grad that just started working as a MedSurge float nurse about 2 months now. I have a few severe mental disorders that I've carried around since about 3rd grade. So here's my perspective:

I NEVER thought it would be like this, but to be honest, my mental illnesses improve when I'm crazy busy and my adrenaline is pumping. I actually hate it when I have a slow day! I feel like when I'm sitting down doing slow work is when it really gets to me. Maybe you should try acute care?

But I guess the most important thing I'm really trying to get at is never label your worth and potential due to a mental illness. The limits I used for safeguards ended up making my life so much worse. I would never push myself and I would never have the chance to grow and say "wow, I'm actually doing pretty frickin awesome". Im not saying you should disregard your illness, embrace them, tackle them, and you'll rise above them. Get to that point and say that you tried twice as hard to get where you are because you had to jump over even more hurdles to get there.

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Hello.

I would like to thank you both for your input.

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PTSD, GAD, depression, recovering from an eating disorder. It's not an easy road, but I chose it. I work in acute care physical rehab.Typically 6 patients per a nurse. It's fast paced and I generally am able to control my anxiety. I constantly am singing songs out loud and in my head. Great distractor and cheers patients up. I have a fondness for Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, and Tina Turner. I have had one panic attack at work. My boss knows I have PTSD; I disclosed my full medical history when they hired me. A lot of nurses go into this field because we remember what it was like to be ignored, forgotten, neglected, abused, etc. I personally had a craptastic childhood and wanted to change my life and others.

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There is a huge demand for Mental Health nurses. Those with mental health issues themselves probably make the best nurses for this field as they have personal experiences with the challenges. They have an insight that neurotypical people can never have.

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Specializes in LTC and Pediatrics.

Chiming in here. GAD and chronic depression. Well treated and under control. I have been working long term care since I graduated two years ago, first as an employee of a facility and now as a staffing agency nurse going to different LTC facilities. Doing this, I don't get involved with the facility politics as well as have to deal with certain types of people long term. I can also select when I want to work as well as where I work . I will be moving in a few months and am going to look at home health or clinic jobs. I am ready to try something else and those two choices appeal to me.

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