Depression + Anxiety as a Nurse

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Hi guys,

I’ve had depression & anxiety for many years, if not forever really. I am very worried about my mental health affecting my nursing ability. I am currently in lvn/lpn school, doing well. Should I just drop out and be a CNA?

Thanks guys &

Happy early Thanksgiving ♥️

Such wonderful, empathetic, and compassionate advice here!

You guys rock!

2
Up Vote Up Vote ×
2 hours ago, happygal56 said:

Such wonderful, empathetic, and compassionate advice here!

You guys rock!

agreed ♥️

2
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Nursing student.

Don’t drop out! Unless you’ve really discovered you dislike nursing and you’d be happier elsewhere. I took a semester off last year and am finishing up as a 5th year because a death occurred a week before I went back in the Fall. I was never really able to process it with all my school work and because I didn’t take time to process it I failed a class. Taking last spring off did wonders for me, all it required was a medical leave of absence but I would check with your school. Take time to work on yourself if that’s what you really need.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Mental Health, Gerontology, Palliative.
On 11/28/2019 at 4:28 AM, jesslahtidah said:

i’ve been off zoloft a while now. i should really be honest with my doctor. ?

i asked my instructor today if someone would be disqualified from being a nurse if they have depression & apparently it’s fine.

I live with major depressive disorder and GAD. I take medications and have been a registered nurse for close to eight years now.

No one will care if you have depression, they just want to know that you can manage your illness and it wont put patients at risk.

I take regular meds and am of the belief that if most people had a physical illness such as diabetes, they wouldnt have an issue with taking meds and that a mental illness is no different than a physical illness.

3
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care.

Hopefully your school offers counseling for students. Don't give up. Try a different counselor and consider having your Dr or preferably a psych NP or psychiatrist prescribe you the right meds to stabilize your mood.

Things will get better. Don't give up on yourself or your education. You can always look for an office job after which will be less stressful than working in a nursing home. The VA still uses LPN's, but I think office work would be less stressful.

Check out all the videos on Youtube. Many therapists offer helpful videos. Google depression, abuse, trauma and you will find video's and meditations. Dr Bessel van der Kolk also has a couple videos on youtube about trauma and the body. He has a book The body keeps the score.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Do not get discouraged!! Just because you struggle with anxiety and depression does not mean you can’t become a great nurse. I am a ER Nurse/ Trauma Nurse....and I have never had an issue with my work performance. I feel like work actually helps me escape from feeling depressed and anxious.

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in School Nursing.

A CNA is (many times) the front line person for the LPN or RN on staff. In my much younger days I worked on a unit in which my CNAs were the first to let me know when a change was occurring with a patient. The RN ultimately has the responsibility for the patient's care and well being but my CNAs were a huge help in catching changes and alerting me before I could get to the patient in rounds. The reason I am explaining this is that we do not realize how much CNAs are capable of when they are utilized to their best potential. Either way, you can be successful if you reach out and use resources available to get help for your anxiety and depression. Don't give up on your dreams by letting it limit you.

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
On 11/26/2019 at 8:31 PM, jesslahtidah said:

good question...every skills check off we do i freak out. fast heart rate, sweaty hands, and i forget the ati videos entirely, no matter how many times i watched them. i saw the trache on the mannequin but felt uncomfortable actually playing with it because i thought the cannula was already out? i don't even know. i just stared at that damn thing like "??????"

i sped through the catheter one and missed things according to my instructor. i can't even apply sterile gloves on 100% correctly. or comfortably take bp! ?

as for next time, i really don't know. ? yeah, i have to do patient education and have to be very confident! lord help me.

Hi!!

I am a RN and I struggle with anxiety too. My dream was to work in L&D but I found inpatient nursing to be incredibly stressful and I left the hospital. I find outpatient nursing to be much more manageable. I don’t want to let my anxiety limit my potential but I have also found that’s it’s important for me to know myself and what will make me happy. I was on medication and in therapy while I worked in the hospital; I don’t need them not that I work outpatient.
As for skills labs— can you ask for extra time to practice in the lab? I remember the pressure of not wanting to make mistakes but the skills lab is the best place to make them! As for meds— you will get to know them. It’s all about repetition. Same thing with checking BPs, etc. once you do it enough times, it’s like riding a bike. I still look up meds that I don’t know.
If you’re doing well in the program, I would stick with it! Being a CNA can also be quite stressful inpatient, it’s physically demanding, and the pay is not what it should be.

There are less stressful areas of nursing, like working in a drs office. There you’re not alone, it’s busy but not like the hospital, you're using less skills. I’m working toward becoming a school nurse. Very busy, lots of responsibility, but to me it’s far less stressful than being in the hospital or a SNF! There’s home care too but it would be good to have some inpatient experience first. There are SO many different things you can do!

Good luck!
Hayley

Up Vote Up Vote ×
6 minutes ago, Nursemomof4 said:

Hi!!

I am a RN and I struggle with anxiety too. My dream was to work in L&D but I found inpatient nursing to be incredibly stressful and I left the hospital. I find outpatient nursing to be much more manageable. I don’t want to let my anxiety limit my potential but I have also found that’s it’s important for me to know myself and what will make me happy. I was on medication and in therapy while I worked in the hospital; I don’t need them not that I work outpatient.
As for skills labs— can you ask for extra time to practice in the lab? I remember the pressure of not wanting to make mistakes but the skills lab is the best place to make them! As for meds— you will get to know them. It’s all about repetition. Same thing with checking BPs, etc. once you do it enough times, it’s like riding a bike. I still look up meds that I don’t know.
If you’re doing well in the program, I would stick with it! Being a CNA can also be quite stressful inpatient, it’s physically demanding, and the pay is not what it should be.

There are less stressful areas of nursing, like working in a drs office. There you’re not alone, it’s busy but not like the hospital, you're using less skills. I’m working toward becoming a school nurse. Very busy, lots of responsibility, but to me it’s far less stressful than being in the hospital or a SNF! There’s home care too but it would be good to have some inpatient experience first. There are SO many different things you can do!

Good luck!
Hayley

thanks hayley. it’s hard to decide where i wanna work when i graduate because of my anxiety. i want to help as many people as possible, that’s my problem. i’m sticking with lvn because i wouldn’t sleep as a rn, worrying about everything lol.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
On 11/26/2019 at 7:08 PM, jesslahtidah said:

jen,

i've always struggled to get out of bed unless i absolutely had to, i usually want to sleep as long as possible and basically be unconscious. i also try not to cry often, in public and in class. not showering or taking care of myself. i've wanted to crash my car & have attempted suicide technically. i was very drunk and took a lot of melatonin. etc.

so i'm like...if i'm a mess, who gives me the right to work with vulnerable people? would i even get licensed with these conditions? a teacher told us we have to be "normal" to be a nurse.

thank you.

thank you for sharing ❤️ i'm sure it's a strength!

I feel that my anxiety helps me relate to A LOT of patients! It’s incredibly common, especially when people are sick, hospitalized, etc. That insight is truly invaluable. Nurses are flawed human beings, just like everyone else. Look into some breathing/mindfulness techniques to help you focus in the skills lab. And please, if you feel suicidal again, go to the ER or call 911. ❤️

Up Vote Up Vote ×
6 minutes ago, jesslahtidah said:

thanks hayley. it’s hard to decide where i wanna work when i graduate because of my anxiety. i want to help as many people as possible, that’s my problem. i’m sticking with lvn because i wouldn’t sleep as a rn, worrying about everything lol.

Maybe you’ll find something you like in clinical— that’s how I got interested in school nursing ? It hadn’t even occurred to me before then lol

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Just wanted to add to the number of nurses living with mental illness. Bipolar 2 disorder x 11 years. Got my BSN right out of high school and I have been Working as an RN x 6 Yrs without any issues. I love my pts.

Sometimes when I think life stinks I just remind myself that I woke up this morning alive and disease free. Working with sick people reminds me to stay positive and count my blessings..along with a great medication regimen ?

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment