Do we need to take drugs.. in order to do our job?

dishes, BSN, RN · Mar 4, 2012

I love it that the genie is finally out of the bottle on this one......we HAVE to talk about it now. We can no longer pretend that prolonged high-pressure conditions aren't harmful to our health, whether physical or mental. Thanks to the OP for bringing up this topic! :yelclap:

The working conditions are the problem, the solution is for nurses to become better educated about their rights, unite and advocate for change in the workplace.

rubato, ASN, RN · Mar 4, 2012

My point was there are also many people I have known thru the years that have absolutely no idea how to cope with everyday situations and the highs and lows of life that everyone of us experience. It would seem that people are only reading the words they want to read and not what was actually written. Being judgmental can go both ways.

I agree. I know there are people that need medication, and that's fine. Take it. But, it is such a crutch for some people who really don't need it. I know. I'm related to a lot of them. There is clinical depression and then, there's situational depression. There is a difference. And, there's delibilitating anxiety and just being anxious about a small issue. I have major anxiety about public speaking, but am not going to take anything when I need to give an oral report. I just get through it knowing that it will end soon.

I am just a student now, but am worried to read how stressful this career choice is going to be. I knew being a nurse would be really hard, but it's apparently a whole new level.

And to address the interview issue: my school does require interviews. One of my counselors said that if I could make it to the interview, I would be guaranteed to get in just because I can hold a conversation with people. There are some students who are so shy and nervous, they can't even handle the one on one interview. I think it's a good way to weed out those who can't deal with the public aspect of nursing.

anotherone, BSN, RN · Mar 4, 2012

I never took any type of psych related meds for anxiety or depression or anything else. Many of my coworkers do and freely discuss the issue. I have also heard many nurses discuss drinking a drink or two after work. Some posters seem to not understand that there is a point where "coping strategies" are COMPLETELY useless and ineffective at dealing with severe anxiety or depression. IF a pill helps someone deal with life better or feel better than so be it. It is not something I would want to do or deal with any stigma associated with any psych diagnosis even ones like dep/anxiety, although that seems to be decreasing. There are also a lot of other professions where I am sure there are high levels of alcohol, prescribed drugs, and illegal drug use do to stress.

Would also like to add that the times I have been FORCED cough:mandated:cough to do 16.5 hours I have felt somewhat impaired, due to the fatigue, stress, lack of sleep etc, knowing I would leave at a 11 am and have to be back at 7pm.

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Mar 4, 2012

i think we can all agree that medication for conditions serious to require it is appropriate, and that many people who feel they need medication for the normal vicissitudes of life could consider a less medicalized approach to them.

VioletKaliLPN, LPN · Mar 4, 2012

You wanna know what *I* really think? I think that Nursing attracts a 'special' someone. Those special someone's are possibly more likely to take psych meds due to the unique mindset it takes to be willing to care for others even if they are biting, kicking, spitting, and telling you to **** off.

Yup, unique mindset, that's what I've got

Blackheartednurse · Mar 4, 2012

that is not true, I dont drink or smoke yet I'm very against antidepressants, seen people who claimed the meds didnt helped them at all, seen people dying because they took anti-anxiety pills, seen people who suffered brain damage because they mixed alcohol and anti-anxiety pills.

I suffer from severe panic attacks couple times a year- now I learned (without meds) to talk to myself and calm myself down.

People please dont mix alcohol with psychotropic meds'

People dont get addicted to pain killers or anti anxiety pills, trust me cognitive therapy works best..

mrmedical, ASN, BSN · Mar 5, 2012

What really gets me is we do all this patient teaching and education, assessing indications, and evaluating therapies for all these medications and supposedly work to get these patients to a functional level without them or with the minimum necessary dose and then we just go home and down a bottle of ETOH and Xanax cause our day was "rough" (obviously not talking about those who have true psychiatric/mental health illness).

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Mar 5, 2012

Thank you . This is the issue I was trying to address. I appreciate your thoughtful and articulate response.

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Mar 5, 2012

I agree that psych medications are needed to treat diagnosed psychiatric disorders and nurses who have been diagnosed, should not feel judged by their colleagues for taking medication to treat their mental illness. In their cases, the medications are necessary to keep their brain chemisitry in balance.
I disagree with nurses taking anti-anxiety or anti-depressant medications to cope with emotions that are the result of poor working conditions. In these cases, it is the employers behavior that needs to be addressed, not the nurse`s brain chemistry. Instead of taking a pill, I believe these nurses need to know what they can and cannot change about their workplace. Nurses need to understand employers are accountable to labor laws and to patient safety, it is not just the nurses responsibility.

Thank you Dishes.. your response and insight is exactly what is needed for

ALL NURSES!

Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN · Mar 5, 2012

To the OP, I have seen this. I'm not referring to people with diagnosed mental health conditions using appropriately prescribed medications and cognitive therapy to address their signs and symptoms. I'm referring to people without diagnosed mental health conditions who turn to antidepressants simply in order to cope with their job. I think it is more common than we think, and I agree, it points to a big problem with the state of nursing today. Thanks for bringing it up!

RiverNurse · Mar 6, 2012

mrmedical,

Obviously that is not a good coping mechanism. What interferes with nurses pursuing healthy coping mechanisms?

Instead of placing blame on nurses that resort to this kind of coping, what about the system of nursing needs to change to support nurses in coping?

Rivernurse

RiverNurse · Mar 6, 2012

One last thing: For those scoffing at mentally ill nurses working (and for the mentally ill ones in the trenches!), I recommend you read "A First Rate Madness." The author posits that in times of calm, the best leaders are the sane ones. In times of crisis, though (and what is nursing, if not crisis!)? You want the mentally ill. Lincoln is the perfect example. Awful depressive (another great book: "Lincoln's Melancholy."). Indeed, there has been a lot of speculation that Florence Nightingale herself was bipolar. If nothing else, she had some fantastically productive times, and some fantastically low ones.
I'd argue that well-controlled mentally ill nurses make GREAT nurses. Mental illness does not equal instant sainthood, but, if you're lucky, it makes you sensitive, creative, compassionate, and, yes, tough. A very wise friend of mine once said that people can only walk with you to where they have been, meaning that if they've never been truly down, out, and broken, they just can't go with you to the darkest, most broken places.

Okay - I read a preview of this book... THEN I HAD to download it to Audible to listen to it while I drive to work. Today, I HAD to buy a hard copy of the book. Not many books hold me at rapt attention. This one, though, most certainly has. Thanks for the recommendation :-)

Rivernurse