Can I be a registered nurse if I have bipolar disorder?

[MeAndArmini]

Hi, I am new here.

I noticed that on the university's prerequisite website (one that I'm looking to transfer to) that it says that a history of mental illness may prevent someone from obtaining their BSN license.

I have bipolar and have had it since I was 9. It used to be way out of control, but for the past year and a half I've been completely stable. I'm still on medications, but I'm very stable.

Do you think I should just stop doing the prerequisites and not be a nurse? I mean do you think because I have bipolar that I wouldn't be able to get my license?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

I realize this is something I should ask an advisor about, but I'm just going to community college right now...

[rtbabineau]

are there any current posts on this subject. I just found it but don't want to post unless it is active

ruthie

[futurenurseintx]

VivaLasViejas said:

Texas is really obnoxious about this. What they put nurses with MI through in order to get or keep a license is ridiculous---they treat them like criminals.

This is good to know. I'm in Dallas.

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

rtbabineau said:

are there any current posts on this subject. I just found it but don't want to post unless it is active

ruthie

Threads remain active until the moderators close them, which usually happens only when there have been no posts for a long time...sometimes a few years. Feel free to post anywhere, anytime. ?

[dilhrchick]

I've been wanting the same information. I posed a question about licensing requirements and what to reveal, and the responses I got said specifically not to keep anything secret. Not saying anything could get you in trouble down the line if it's found out that you omitted information.

??

[ahcolwell]

So to give my experience....

I never once revealed I had a mood disorder and/or panic disorder to any one. I tried to keep certain people aware, but so far, only a group of people (the people I work with now) have shown any respect for my illness. I don't intend to try and abuse any system, but when I'm in a full panic mode, I can't think of work or even doing real life stuff. Some people need mental days. Sure, I need monitoring, but now I'm stuck with the fact I admitted to my BON in this state. Since then, I feel like I've been discriminated against and treated like a criminal. I am treated just like a drug addict or an alcoholic nurse who need recovery through this program. The same structure and everything. Daily drug screen calls, monthly reports by everything and their grandmother about my health or my performance, I have to do these visits and stuff that aren't going to do anything but waste time. I just want to be on my merry way, going to my therapist and psychiatrist, without anybody sticking their nose in my business. It's my private life. What if I discuss being a transgender person to my therapist and that gets put into the report and then I have the board looking down at me. What if I refuse medications because they don't work. What if I don't want to do this ridiculous crap to keep my license because anything I do, no matter how small, may or may not get reported and I lose my license. I feel like I am treated like I did something wrong. Like I am wrong for having a mental illness.

[Currcat621211]

Being aware of yourself is probably the biggest thing that could get in the way of your nursing license. If you have a mental illness and you don't know how to acknowledge it or control it, you may struggle to be a safe nurse sometimes. If you can keep on top of things though, and really work to develop a slew of tools to work through things, you'll be fine. Definitely try to stay away from states that are super specific and demeaning, they're not worth it if you have a MI IMO.

[munabruna]

I'm so glad to have found this post! I'm a 25 year old woman from Norway who has struggled with manic episodes the last ten years or so. During my last hospitalization the doctor put me on Zoloft which was the icing on the cake to treat my PTSD. For 4 months now I have been well and I have never felt so good in my entire life. I want to be nurse but further down the line perhaps as long as 2-3 years to fully be able to handle my disorder. Are there any nurses here who work within A&E or have jobs that are equally as stressful? And or works nights? Please share how you manage stressful jobs and night shifts.

[Workitinurfava, BSN, RN]

Do you have any past history of having to stop working due to the condition (on a long-term basis for whatever reason)? I ask this because I work in mental health and many of the patients have to stop working so they can get treatment in a inpatient facility. Nursing can be stressful and it is often the stress that triggers the episodes. Will your job allow you to miss work off and on if you need treatment? I am not telling you not to do nursing but I am just saying you should look at all of your options. If you decide against nursing, consider occupational therapist, is a good job and the pay isn't too bad. I can't say for sure but from what I have seen the job looks to be less stressful than nursing.

[SturblrBurblr]

VivaLasViejas said:

Texas is really obnoxious about this. What they put nurses with MI through in order to get or keep a license is ridiculous---they treat them like criminals. So I'd avoid TX like the plague if I were you.

My state's wording is ambiguous, like a lot of other states ("do you have a physical or mental condition that impairs or might impair your ability to practice nursing safely?"). In any case, talk to your state's BON before you make any commitments; as far as your school is concerned, your medical history is none of their business.....it's protected health information that they have no right to.

Bipolar in and of itself does not make nursing stressful. Uncontrolled bipolar makes it hellish. Nursing is inherently stressful given the nature of the work, but when you throw in a serious mental illness that's not managed well, it becomes all but impossible. I think that's why states have cracked down so much on nurses with MI......occasionally, there comes a time when a nurse becomes unsafe at any speed and cannot properly care for patients. So it's crucial to use whatever means are at your disposal to keep your disorder under control, including good self-assessment skills (taking into consideration the fact that we tend to lack insight during mood episodes) and going in for a 'tune-up' when the engine starts running rough.

I'm interested on your experiences with Texas, because I'm an LVN about two months away from getting my RN, and I have mental illness (and my dx may be about to change, too, in light of some recent revelations). I also live in Texas and plan to look into travel jobs after getting my BSN next year.

This is what the TBON website says:

"*In the past five (5) years have you been diagnosed with or treated or hospitalized for schizophrenia and/or psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder, paranoid personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, or borderline personality disorder which impaired or does impair your behavior, judgment, or ability to function in school or work?"

The way I'd interpret that is: "We only need to know about your MI and about your treatment plan/progress for your MI if it IS or HAS BEEN KNOWN to impede/impair your capacity to function safely as a nurse." (They consider hospitalization as a sign that you haven't been stable and safe to practice.)

Which, honestly? Is reasonable. If I'm not safe to practice, I shouldn't be practicing, but I may put in the work necessary to BE safe to practice again; fair enough.

However they also mention TPAPN on that same page, which is the program they make people pinged for substance use hx go through, too. Which is... I have mixed feelings about that.

For me, I think as long as you're stable and able to function as a healthcare professional safely, there shouldn't be any issues, ideally. Legally can be another matter.

But the stigma... it is REAL, man.

[KR]

sarit said:

Hi Tagit.

I think it depends on the state you are in. Each state is different though. My state investigates if you get hospitalized for psych no matter what the circumstances as if you had committed some ethical wrong. But I know other states don't do this, you can go get inpatient treatment without being investigated.

Ideally I think one should consult a nursing lawyer regarding licensure with psychiatric disability or history of substance abuse before applying for licensure just to see what the lay of the land in their state may be and what they have to disclose, and how to do it. But who has that kind of money to consult with such a lawyer, especially most nursing students?

Anyway, good luck! Lots of nurses out there with controlled mental illness that are doing well in nursing. I feel that as a nurse, at least where I live, the stigma issues of having a diagnosis are the biggest challenge.

What state?

[Tenebrae, BSN, RN]

My experience may not help in that I live in NZ. I live with major depression

When I was going through school, my instructors knew that I had a mental illness. In the process of applying to sit state finals I was asked if I suffered from any sort of illness that could potentially impact on my ability to be a safe effective practitioner and was asked to provide a letter from my doctor that stated my depression was under control.

I've now been practicing for six years and that seems like a life time.

Can you be a nurse if you have a mental illness? Yes

How do I deal with it? Its about being really self aware of my early warning signs, the things that I know are indicative of an acute exacerbation of my depression and then taking steps to address that.

[aquakenn, CNA]

Thanks. I needed that advice.