Depression & Nursing

beth66335, BSN, RN · Mar 22, 2010

Do you have a therapist that prescribes your meds? If not find one, but if you do have one, make some appointments to discuss your concerns with them. Sharing the things that are bothering you will help keep the weight from resting only on you. Plus,try to get some excercise and make sure you eat as healthy as you can. I don't think the time has come to give up yet...not by a long shot!

Peanutter1 · Mar 22, 2010

Sorry to hear about your struggles with your nursing instructors. Along with the advice given in the above response, I think it's important you know all nursing students experience to some level your struggles. Of course, your's might be to a great extent given your history. Maybe you can find another support network? Is there not a single instructor you feel you could confide in? Maybe even the Dean? Clinicals are a huge source of anxiety for all nursing students...I used to have trouble breathing through one entire rotation!

I have a friend in nursing school who has bi-polar. I also have a couple of friends who have had depression in the past, and/or have post-traumatic stress. They are all doing great now and we are about to graduate! Second semester of junior year was the hardest for all of us. Senior year is better, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Even though some of the coursework is hard, by then you know how to study for it! Only you know how far you can push yourself, but hang in there!

allnurses Guide · Mar 22, 2010

I would advise talking to your doctor too - antidepressants can get less effective over time, I know mine did. You may need something that addresses your anxiety as well as depression. I agree that a counselor or psychologist to talk to would likely be very helpful.

People with chronic major depression are more fragile to changing life situations that your average non-depressed person can cope with. Just like diabetics can't cope with a tub of ice-cream as well as I can...!

It is not an admission of failure to tell people that you need help. Start with your doctor.

Butterfliesnroses · Mar 22, 2010

I'm in my 2nd qtr. Ever since my 2 year old was born I'd felt extreme anxiety. I told my doc but she kept telling me it was normal. Last qtr. I had a GI bleed and landed in the hospital...when I went to see her for followup I again mentioned my anxiety and how it'd heightened with nursing school and she put me on an antidepressant. Recently I've been having axiety attacks so the doc put me on a PRN anti-anxiety med. IMO certain situations or things happening in your life can up your depression...so maybe talk to the doc and they can change your meds. Also the first year lead knew about my GI bleed (she was also my clinical instructor and is the main instructor for us first years). I find talking to her helps. Also talking to ther people that understand...other classmates!

nocheapones · Mar 23, 2010

I'm very thankful for this thread. I have a long history of depression, but in the past few years have managed without meds. I'll be starting nursing school in the fall and I'm worried about what that will do to my depression. I'm relieved to know I'm not alone, and that there are other nurses/students who use the help of antidepressants to make it through.

Work in Progress · Mar 23, 2010

I have also suffered from depression for a number of years. I had been managing well off of any medications for a couple of years prior to nursing school. The new stress of nursing school and my pregnancy hormones (yeah, that was a whole other struggle) worsened my depression. I went back on my meds and have had them increased several times...

That being said, I am two months from graduating with a 4.0. I feel much better when I make time for myself, exercise, eat healthy foods and get some sunshine. I also had to stop working nights, because it was adding to my depression to never see daylight.

Take care of yourself as best you can, consult your doctor/therapist and never be afraid to ask for help from the people that you can get it from. This is not a character flaw, it is an illness and you can be a great nurse with depression. Hang in there!

Hazel11 · Mar 25, 2010

I am a nursing student in my junior year of a BSN program. I was diagnosed with depression when I was 14. I was very young, but my family provided me great support through the hard times. Since then I have been able to manage my condition with antidepressants and a great support system. Nursing school has been going great so far (and I hope it continues that way!) Just remember that you're not alone, and it's okay to ask for help. :redpinkhe

winterflower · Mar 28, 2010

I am a nursing student and have been dealing with Major Depression and Borderline Personality Disorder for over 10 yrs now. I am on antidepressants as well as an antianxiety med. and I am doing better now than I have in many years. I have not had to be hospitalized now for about 2 yrs, I know that doesn't sound like much but when you are in the hospital several times a year, 2 yrs hospital free is a major accomplishment. I would strongly suggest you talk to a pyschiatrist and/or a therapist. It's possible that your medication may need adjusted or you may need talk therapy more often than what you might currently be receiving. I also went through DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) it's a program created by Marsha Linaham that teaches you a new way of thinking about situations and how to deal with them. I wouldn't give up on nursing school yet. Look into getting some more help. I certainly never thought I would be where I am today 10 years ago. I believe you can overcome your problems and be very successful as a nurse. Good Luck!

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Mar 30, 2010

What I was wondering is if there are any other nurses or nursing students who have depression and have made it through school and are efficient happy nurses?

All I can say is that I have a multitude of coworkers (nurses) who are on some type of antidepressant medication such as Zoloft, Lexapro, etc. Depressive disorders are common in nurses as well as the general population. These people have been able to complete their schooling, function safely at work, and carve out reasonable lives for themselves and their families. Good luck to you.

mammac5 · Mar 30, 2010

Nursing school is a whole new kind of stress...for me, anyway.

I would not discuss this with my instructors because, frankly, they each have their own biases about nurses and nursing students who need meds for depression, anxiety, or mental illness. It's not their job to be understanding and they may not be. Your anxiety, depression -- and any other medical issues -- should be private unless safe patient care would be affected by them.

See if your school has a counseling or psych service where you could be seen. The psych service at my university comes to speak to each new class of nurses at orientation and they tell us that we are some of their most frequent clients! They really understand all that we're going through and the service is completely confidential. You don't need to wreck your health to become a great nurse!

MattiesMama · Mar 30, 2010

Hi,
I had a question for any current nurses or nursing students. I was diagnosed with depression in high school and have been treated with anti-depressants ever since. Currently I am a second semester junior in a BSN nursing program. I have reached a point where I don't know whether or not to continue pursing my nursing degree. My symptoms of depression have worsened during school. It is hard for me to even concentrate on homework which leads to late nights and the stress of procrastination. The nursing professors are not warm and inviting like I thought they would be. I would not feel comfortable discussing fears or concerns with them. Clinicals have been a major source of anxiety. I have learned so much but I am so afraid to care for my patients. I am constantly worried about whether I am doing things right. I would never want to hurt someone. What I was wondering is if there are any other nurses or nursing students who have depression and have made it through school and are efficient happy nurses? Thanks in advance for any replies! I'm glad that I found a safe place to ask this question.

I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder when I was 12. Middle school and high school were a nightmare-I attempted suicide twice and was inpatient in a psych facility for a few months. Once I got out in the "real world", had my daughter, and built a life for myself, I thought I was doing o.k.-I just learned to accept that I was never going to be truly happy. I was able to function without meds for 4 years, but I was just kind of drifting along with no sense of direction, no idea what I was going to do with my life and not really caring all that much.

When I first started nursing school, all of those problems resurfaced in a big way-actually, it sounds almost exactly like what you are describing-with the crippling anxiety in clinical, the unapproachable instructors, the pressure to be perfect. On top of that, I became the target of a group of "mean girls" who picked up on that vulnerability and made it their mission to push me to my breaking point-eventually it all became too much and I did have what I can only describe as a serious mental breakdown and I had to withdraw from school. At that point, I thought I would never go back.

Eventually I just came to the realization that no matter what happened with school or my career, I had to make my mental health a priority-I started seeing a psychiatrist 3 times a week and attending group therapy. I found the right combination of medications that worked for me. And most importantly,through a lot of therapy and a lot of writing, I finally dealt with some of those unresolved issues that were haunting me from my past. It was not easy by any stretch, and I'm still a work in progress, but that was the best thing I've ever done for myself. It may have even saved my life.

So anyways, I'm back in school now (5 months from graduation and #1 in my class :yeah: ) and while there are definately good days and bad days, I can honestly say I'm the happiest I've ever been in my life and I've NEVER regretted my decision to go back.

I don't know what advice to give you other than you absolutely need to take care of yourself before you can take care of anyone else, and you have to love yourself enough to know that you don't deserve to feel this way. If it means taking time off-that's not the end of the world, I'm living proof of that! But don't think for one second that you are any less capable of being a happy, efficient nurse just because you happen to have an illness-it might make things more challenging, but in the end you will find out that you are more resilient than you ever knew.