Hi, Reading this just got to thinking about my own situation. I am in the DMU program not because I diverted, used or drank alcohol but because I am taking medication for depression. How about that? I know the feelings of guilt and shame but they seem to come from the program itself and the very nature of it. I feel scrutinized, publicly made to be on the spot and financially robbed because of this program not to mention the inconvenience it is to check for drug screens every morning. I have a biological illness and no it doesn't prevent me from doing my work.. Heck, Florence nightingale suffered from depression and no one had her go into a monitoring program . What is going on in nursing today? Why do people discriminate and even stigmatize those who have mental illness esp in the nursing field? I find this outrageous. I guess if I had diabetes I'd be more palatable or more accepted. I have 4years and 10 months left of this program because I take medication and I am being singled out like I never passed my boards. I did the work and I should be respected not made out to be a potential problem. Again I don't drink or do drugs. I find this feels like blackmail. If you don't participate in the program then you don't have access to your license. Now in order to practice you must tell all about your struggles why you are in the program, etc, etc. Nothing is private anymore. Everyone knows everything. This is emotionally painful.
So when is the stigma and discrimination going to end? All I can say is this is not what I signed up for when I spent 100000 on nursing school and years of sacrifice and hard work. I'm not any different than any other nurse just because I need to take 3 pills every day.
When are people going to treat us like we are human beings and not some horror story they heard on the news. This is fear driven and unbased on any fact that people with mental illness are violent out to kill their patients or a risk. I am beside myself and its about time we see people for who they are and not what meds they are taking. Nurses with mental illness have just as much potential as their so called healthy counterparts who may in fact not be so healthy afterall when they too feel they have to get help for something and then it is strewn all over the nursing boards. Disciplinary Monitoring? For an illness. Doesn't make sense. Who's going to step up and change this?
Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.
I just saw this thread. All I can say is WOW---no wonder nurses don't go for help when they need it.
If all the nurses on meds for depression or anxiety had to go through programs like the one the OP describes, there would be very few nurses left to care for patients. And Lord knows, nurses like me with more complex psychiatric issues probably wouldn't even BE nurses if the people running licensing boards didn't have that pesky ol' ADA to deal with. No, they can't legally discriminate against us, but they'll harass and demean us until we can't stand it anymore, give up the fight and leave the profession.
I thought I would reply to your message to let you know I was a little insulted by your mentioning to me that if you were an employer you would be hesitant to hire me in this "state". I am not sure how you can gauge my state by reading a post but I will say that I am in the midst of filling out all the paperwork for the state, gathering signatures, etc. and I just had an evaluation last Thursday which was very stressful leading up to it. My husband did the calculations and arrived at the total. I was just quoting the total which may or may not be incorrect. He may have been quoting the total cost of meds, doctors visits therapy, uds, etc. This is still very fresh for me and I hope you understand that. Its new. I am not used to being put under the microscope and being looked at so judgingly. There are a lot of stipulations regarding this. All of which I am not going to get into here but it seems similar to yours.
I hope that we can continue being a support to each other as we go through this DMU process. I do not know too many people who are in this but it would be helpful if we could stay in contact with each other and be encouraging towards each other. That would be the most helpful for both of us at this point.
I just saw this thread. All I can say is WOW---no wonder nurses don't go for help when they need it.
If all the nurses on meds for depression or anxiety had to go through programs like the one the OP describes, there would be very few nurses left to care for patients. And Lord knows, nurses like me with more complex psychiatric issues probably wouldn't even BE nurses if the people running licensing boards didn't have that pesky ol' ADA to deal with. No, they can't legally discriminate against us, but they'll harass and demean us until we can't stand it anymore, give up the fight and leave the profession.
Hi Viva,
In a way aren't they discriminating by putting people in the DMU for mental health issues? Or for some reason because we take meds we are supposed to be there? Will take me time to get accustomed to this. After all, all the paperwork is on my counter needing to be filled out and the sooner I can finish it, it won't be such a painful reminder everytime I look at it. Looking at your post you mentioned the ADA, How does that fall into place with this? Just wondering.
BeOne, I know. But, neither you or I can change the situation. Fighting Boards who giveth and can taketh away licenses will not help. The more I got involved in other things, especially mental health advocacy, the better I was and am. I will suggest NAMI as support. They offer programming that mostly is run by people with mental illness and that programming can possibly lead to decent job skills, if you facilitate support groups or teach Peer to Peer. If I am interviewing in a position that I feel comfortable mentioning my mental health struggles or doing stuff with NAMI and it can be an asset, I do. When I started getting into volunteering and other things, the time started flying by.
When you can look for nursing work, also consider volunteering with Medical Reserve Corps.
You are in DMU not only because you are depressed or bipolar, but because you violated a restraining order. No contact orders are serious business (as the should be) and violating one should cause the BON to investigate. It sounds like you are going to your appointments and trying to tackle this disease. This is great! But I caution everyone on this board to not make it seem like BeOne is being discriminated against because she sought help for mental health issues. If you have depression, the BON is not going to take your license away. I don't want anyone reading this board to avoid seeking treatment for a very treatable disease because of misinformation.....
No, ad, I do not think it was solely on a restraining order, I think the hospitalizations had to do with it. I did not have a restraining order against me, but I am in HPMP. I, however, have been in patient before. I have Borderline Personality Disorder.
You are in DMU not only because you are depressed or bipolar, but because you violated a restraining order. No contact orders are serious business (as the should be) and violating one should cause the BON to investigate. It sounds like you are going to your appointments and trying to tackle this disease. This is great! But I caution everyone on this board to not make it seem like BeOne is being discriminated against because she sought help for mental health issues. If you have depression, the BON is not going to take your license away. I don't want anyone reading this board to avoid seeking treatment for a very treatable disease because of misinformation.....
The fact remains that if you have or have had mental health issues and the boards find out regardless how it happens( in my case it was violating a no- contact agreement which led to them finding out which was an innocent phone call) It coiuld be any number of ways that they could be eluded to your condition. When you apply for your license I believe it specifically asks if you are being treated for a mental health condition such as depression, bipolar, etc. So yes many people do not reveal this when applying for their licenses to avoid being put through what I am being put through. That is not to say that one should avoid seeking treatment it just means that there are ramifications for doing so. Which is not encouraging for the person doing so. In a lot of ways it appears to be discrimination and sure as heck feels like because I did nothing wrong but to seek treatment. And because I did and have that particular history in my background, this is the result. But in the more positive- I still have my license- I just have to meet all their crazy obligations in order to keep it. In writing my posts I was hoping to get more empathy than I have but I guess many of you have not been put into this situation so I guess it is difficult for you to support or show compassion to someone who is going through this. I understand that. And Yes I am in the DMU because of mental Health issues not because I violated a no-contact agreement. They don't put people in the DMU for that. So again if you are being treated for anything considered a mental illness including depression you are subject to the boards discretion.
And again my license has not been taken away I just want to emphasize that. There are just added rules and responsibilities I now need to follow. The only thing I can say is that the more people try to hide this, the more that the stigma will endure. I was open with my evaluators and was truthful about my condition. I believe they should change the DMU to something like RMU- Recovery Monitoring instead of portraying it like its some sort of disciplinary measure. No one wants to be disciplined for something that they are being medically treated for. That just compounds the problem and instills a kind of humiliation uncalled for. And yes it can be called discrimination depending on your opinion.
So, if there are any other nurses besides wish me luck who are in the DMU please do not hesitate to PM me so we can offer each other support. If not and you are ever in this situation please do not hesitate to contact me.
I don't think anyone is trying to judge you or be unsupportive. My mother is treatment resistant and has bipolar disease. I certainly empathize with your situation. But you keep making excuses for violating the no-contact order. There is never an excuse to violate one. They are very serious orders and no matter what your intention was, it was wrong to make that call. I am only saying this because I believe that you need to accept that part of your situation as something that you own. The past is the past, and you will get through it. I really wish you the best of luck and hope your journey is a happy and fulfilling one!
Confused nursing student here. I read through this whole thread. OP, I'm sorry about what's happened.
But, on a general scale, should a nursing student who's been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and is not currently taking anxiety medication but has in the past - and has also had counseling in the past - be worried about being able to get an RN license? That seems unreal, but I just want to make sure.
It depends on the state. Some flat ask about any mental illness within the past five years, others are vague, and some do not ask at all. I made a thread in the disability section on states and how they word the question about mental health issues. Search for it.
VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN
22 Articles; 9,996 Posts
I just saw this thread. All I can say is WOW---no wonder nurses don't go for help when they need it.
If all the nurses on meds for depression or anxiety had to go through programs like the one the OP describes, there would be very few nurses left to care for patients. And Lord knows, nurses like me with more complex psychiatric issues probably wouldn't even BE nurses if the people running licensing boards didn't have that pesky ol' ADA to deal with. No, they can't legally discriminate against us, but they'll harass and demean us until we can't stand it anymore, give up the fight and leave the profession.