Depression/anxiety

[freckles23]

Hi everyone, im looking for some guidance in my current situation. I have been an RN for 2 years, I am 25 years old and work night shift at a community hospital. I am starting to realize I have some mental issues. I am becoming very depressed and anxious and it is affectinn every aspect of mu life such as work and relationships at home. I no longer have the motivation to do anything and have been isolating myself from others. All I want to do is sleep. I overanalyze everything and get agitated more easily now. When I come home from work it is difficult for me to fall asleep because my mind races and millions of thoughts enter my head. My head feels like it is a million pounds and I no longer know who I am when I look in the mirror anymore. When I went to my doctor they said my vitamin D was low so ive been taking supplements. I really want to start looking into receiving help but unsure where to start. Do I see a counselor, psychiatrist or psychologist? I need some guidance about what to do in this situation as it is starting to affect my everyday living. I am tired of feeling like this and want to go back to how I felt before. I just have a flat affect toward everything I do and nothing excites me anymore and im just not happy. Thanks for listening.

[Yorker]

I agree with the previous post, see a Psychiatrist , they are specialized for this . I wouldn't go to a PCP. Also, they can recommend you a good psychotherapist. It has benefitted lot of people but some not. Psychiatrist may start you on SSRI or something for GAD, and usually it takes 4-6 weeks to work, so you have to be patient.May be trying to find a day job will help you too.They also recommend:

Exercise -Very important , they release good hormones in the body . Its really necessary for you get some kind of activity.

Yoga- Yoga has helped numerous people to keep the balance between mind and body.

Multivitamins and healthy diet- Salmon, walnuts etc,

Having a good support system around you- Try to be around positive people. Read motivational books.

Last but not the least

Spirituality- If you are a believer there is nothing that God cannot do. God is the biggest healer.

[brandy1017, ASN, RN]

I can tell you my story. I lived with depression and anxiety for many years and regret not taking medicine sooner. I did have a wonderful therapist thru nursing school and my first couple years of nursing who was a godsend. She was wonderful, and got me thru the worst of it when I was just began working as a floor nurse. I was not prepared for the stress and anxiety and overreacted afraid to make a mistake by missing something. I would be the person that would call the Dr for every little thing, rather than miss something. The Dr's were wonderful and didn't seem to mind. I did even save a couple lives thru my quick thinking to call one patient a missed PE diagnosis and another an early bleed from heparin.

Eventually I felt it was time to let go of my therapist, but still struggled with depression from personal problems and regret not taking meds sooner. Like you I was very resistant to taking an antidepressant. I tried SSRI but didn't like the side effects migraines for me, daily after I started them. There are other meds out there that don't cause migraines.

I no longer suffer with depression, thank God, but there were many years I cried every single day and it was a shame I should have gone on meds sooner and like you I used sleep as an escape. I also used exercise as an escape as well, you truly get a "high" from exercise even walking, not just the runner's high.

In my experience my problems were both personal past abuse issues and also stress from the job. Even though I'm a great nurse thru time, experience, diligence I lacked confidence in myself and stayed in the same nursing position. Over the years I've witnessed the worsening of nursing conditions at my job and heard from others the sad state of nursing in most of the hospitals in my city. When the stress finally got to me to the point where I was losing my temper at work and having impulse thoughts of wanting to walk off the job and quit, I finally starting taking meds to help me cope. The meds are working, I am happy with my life other than my job. I tolerate it and I'm counting down the days till retirement.

My only personal regret is not taking action to either quit my job and get out of the hospital setting or moving on by going back to school and getting my NP. I'm now in my 50's and have less than 10 years to go to retirement. It doesn't pay for me to go back for NP between the high cost of student loans and the short time I have left to work. I was even encouraged to be an NP by one of the Dr's, not listening to him is my biggest regret!

I implore you to seek out help and be willing to take the meds and give therapy a try, the combination can really help. It doesn't necessarily mean you have to be on meds or therapy forever. Give it a try, don't be like me and go for years crying every day rather than be willing to try meds!

Overall I'm happy, I definitely enjoy my time off from work and have a good life. I no longer cry. I also don't exercise to excess like in the old days. The only thing that even meds doesn't change is I don't like my job and hate floor nursing. It really sucks and talking to other nurses most feel the same if they are honest. I would quit now if I could afford it, and envy family and friends that were able to retire early thanks to smart choices of getting govt jobs! To cope I write down the good days to remind myself that it doesn't always suck at work and try to focus on the sweet patients and families that make my day. I also savor the times I truly make a difference in the lives of my patients!

So my advice to you is take care of yourself, give meds and therapy a try and if the floor nursing is getting to you; I suggest you make a change, either trying out clinic, office or case management or going back to school for NP. But don't continue to suffer in silence. Sadly I have literally witnessed several nurses break down and lose their jobs over the stress of floor nursing. Even those of us that continue to work I believe the majority suffer emotionally and physically from floor nursing. It is really not worth it! There are other options out there! I think it is truly the rare person that thrives in hospital nursing especially as the conditions have deteriorated so much over the years!

PS Pets make wonderful companions and will really raise your spirits!

[hppygr8ful, ASN, RN, EMT-I]

I actually did see my primary like a year ago for a check up and I told her I was feeling kind of depressed and all she did was ask if I was suicidal which Im not and then asked if I wanted to start zoloft. I feel meds would be my last resort and I did not like the fact she was so quick to push me on medication. So I guess you can say I held off trying to get help because I felt like she brushed off how I was feeling and didnt give me a referral to anyone. I felt I should see someone who is trained to handle mental illnesses instead of a doctor who just has a broad idea of what it is. I am able to look up therapists because I have good insurance so I dont need a referral but not sure who to see. Like I said in my question, a psychologist, psychiatrist or counselor?

You are very smart in your thinking. You need a referral to a mental health professional to get a full evaluation before starting psych meds, I have been a psych nurse for over 15 years. Having a GP treat you for a psych problem is like having a plumber work on your car. Plumbers and mechanics are very good at what they do but they don't know anything about what the other really does. Go back to you PCP and tell her/him that you want a referral to a psychiatrist. From there you v=can get referrals for psychologists and counselors etc.....

Peace and Namaste

Hppy

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

Sounds like you are already committed to the idea of seeing somebody and just want directions as to which professional would be the best fit for you. Your PCP should be a good jumping off point. A good conversation with your provider can help you decide if a counselor, psychologist or psychiatrist is the best route for you. Assuming you trust the advice of your PCP you should be able to narrow down your options and receive a referral to a mental health professional that your provider trusts. Not to mention your odds of booking an appointment in any kind of timely fashion will probably be better with a referral from your PCP. I don't know how things are in your area, but where I live good luck with booking an appointment with any specialist that isn't at least 3-6 months out.

[TriciaJ, RN]

PLEASE HELP! My mother has been an LPN for almost 45 years. She is 64 years old very active and passionate about the future, but is trapped in nursing. Going back to school is not really an option (no time/money) and she fights as hard as she can to find some other career where she can make the money she makes now (enough to live on but not support a good quality of life) and which brings her joy, but she has been scammed and let down and lied to and I am afraid she might give up. This might be too personal, but my mother is my best friend. She is a compassionate, creative and hard-working woman who has raised two children on her own (by choice and for the good of all of us) while she attended college and worked to support us. She deserves happiness and some semblance of freedom. Is there anyone out there who has some idea or inkling of wisdom that might help me help her? I would greatly appreciate any advice.[/quote']

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[Reyn04, MSN, RN]

Do you have an employee assisted program at your hospital? Maybe you could start there.

This would be my recommendation too. If you dont have one, call your insurance company & they may be able to direct you as well.

If it has gotten so bad that is impacting your life, you may want to consider meds with treatment to ensure you are functional. That doesnt mean you have be on them forever.

Another question, do you feel its job related? Would changing jobs or hospitals change how you feel?