Nursing & Depression

Nurses Stress 101

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  1. Nurses and Depression/Anxiety

    • 401
      I think the incidence of depression/anxiety is higher in nursing than other professions.
    • 264
      I feel depression/anxiety has interfered with my job performance.
    • 260
      I feel nursing has played a part in my depression
    • 23
      I feel administration is as supportive to nurses w/ depression/anxiety as w/ other diseases

460 members have participated

While visiting in the lounge one day, we discovered that every nurse there was on an anti-depressant.

I have had 'Treatment Resistant Depression' for about 20 years--as long as I've been a nurse. Now I am totally burned out, on major meds, and am seeking disability d/t depression/anxiety.

I beleive years of long hours, high stress, high expectations and little appreciation (from management, not patients) has contributed to this.

How many other jobs consider you a tratior b/c you call in sick? And trying to get off for a sick child is an unforgivable sin. How many other jobs want you to work overtime on the days you are scheduled, call you at all hours of the night or day when you are off, first pleading w/ you to come in, then laying a guilt trip on you if you say "NO!" And let's not forget the mandatory inservices and CEU's that take time away from your family.

If any profession should understand the importance of the individuals' physical, mental, social and spiritual self it should be nursing--after all we are taught in nursing school about treating the patient as a whole, not just a disease! Why don't we treat our staff the same way.

Anyone out there in the same boat?

You don't have to feel that other people feel your depression, and don't want you to feel down. And, in the same stroke, I guess its okay to feel down if you want to also.

Especially the imadgry your details are concerning the feelings of depression. Sometimes I get VERY depressed when all the music on radio in portland is all repeats. I need to get a cd for the bike, but its a hassle :-( I felt like a sinking rock when loved ones died. We all sink in number of heartbeats you have left. They are your heartbeats; dance! Sitting and watching is okay too :-) The all purpose cure with depression would be a walk through a cemetary (that you don't know anyone in).

I am happy to hear people are aided by these meds, and bow like a humble peeyon to the groups of people who researched the chemistry of all this. I am depressed I can't comprehend what is happening :-( I'm sorry (consumed with guilt) :-(

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Specializes in cardiac ICU.

!!!CAUTION Morbid Post Ahead!!!

When I was very ill, and I saw a cemetery, usually it made me jealous of the dead people buried there. They had gotten through life, and now they were done, and they had earned their eternal rest. They had gotten through it. I figured suicide wouldn't be quite the same. (Of course, that didn't stop me from attempting suicide a few years later when I was even more unbearably miserable.)

Mario, I just had to respond to your cemetery thing above. :p

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The good thing is that if you live long enough, you finally figure out that if you just wait it out, eventually things will get better. I'm not saying they won't get a whole lot worse before they get better, but eventually.

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This might be slightly off the topic, but what the hell:

I've been on sick leave since the end of July. I had the poor taste to have two seizures at work, literally knocking myself senseless. Once I was cleared to return to work, I had an attack of pancreatitis that put me in the hospital for 11 days.:o To add insult to injury, I had an ERCP, after which I had ERCP-induced pancreatitis and hemorrhaging (1500-2000ml). I'm still waiting to return to work, and I'm so damn depressed I can't hardly stand it:crying2: All the antidepressants and talk therapy in the world don't seem to be putting a dent in this:o I haven't considered suicide, thank God: I think I'll stay around out of spite;) But sometimes I have all I can do to drag my butt out of bed.:confused:

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Originally posted by KarafromPhilly

!!!CAUTION Morbid Post Ahead!!!

When I was very ill, and I saw a cemetery, usually it made me jealous of the dead people buried there. They had gotten through life, and now they were done, and they had earned their eternal rest. :p

But rest is something only an alive person can do. Deathis the disassembly of what was once an organized mass of electrons, protons and neutrons, spinning on different axis' and at different speeds. I hope I don't sound like a budha with my high talk. :-(

Depression is a personal understanding. Being depressed ain't so bad; it's the things you do, or don't do, when your depressed that can sort of make you sad in the long run. Guilt, regret, scorn, bitterness...all that.

When I take a bath and fill the tub, I imagine that I have opened an artery or something, and let the water out and feel the water slowly go down, and feel my body get heavier and heavier. Suicide is very scary, and I would be panicing if I ever initiated it.

The meds help with depression and reduce suicide. Mario is so fortunate to not have depression and wants to help/understand others with it. Thank you

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i personally think that the govt should look at putting antidepressant medication into the water supply - imagine how much happier and more calm everyone would be...it would make an interesting study proposal....who knows where it would lead?! would we continue doing what we do?

work is love made visible
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Specializes in Corrections, Psych, Med-Surg.

ruthless--they could call it "soma"

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I don't think nursing itself causes depression. I think some of the enviroments nurses are working in leads to situational depressionat at a much higher rate. This also I feel is a different depression than chronic long term depression. I have been very depressed at certain times in my life. When I got married I was, because deep inside my self I knew the marriage shouldn't have occurred. I got very depressed when my exhusband moved out and had to be responsible for 4 children. I have always become horribly depressed with each of my 4 pregnancies. Postpartum depression has been the hardest of all of these.

The only episode I can contribute to nursing was this last year. I detested where I was, hated it, have no respect for my bosses, the corporation, little for fellow nurses ...most hired were the dregs of nursing and the few good ones left within a month of my leaving. I may have worked with some nice people, but I expected these nice people to have better stardards while on the job. I went on celexa for the first time. This depression I couldn't seem to shake and my family seemed to get the brunt of my anger and resentment knowing I had to go back to hell for yet another day. The celexa just seemed to reduce my anger somewhat and help me sleep....I was still depressed, just not so focused on what was aggrevating the depression. I quit my celexa after 12 weeks and decided it was time to take control of MY life again. I quit my job in June and at the end of July I found a position that I am happy with. Happy with because my coworkers are courteous, respectful and responsible. Not that my position is less involving, because it is more, but the enviroment and change altered and enhanced my perspective. I worked thru what needed to be done where I was unable to do before due to feeling despair, lonliness, and isolation caused by the depression. The celexa use helped me realize and actually face what was going on and I was able to focus again to make changes to improve what was the upmost stressor in my life.

This place was so bad they had 5 at last count cnas who did not show up for work and did not call--no call no shows--that they rehired, 1 for the third time. They called me in July with a huge raise and my fiance said he would move out if I went back there, my mom actually told me I was stupid to even consider the offer when I told them I would.

Anyway.....another perspective......Lisa

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Originally posted by ruthless

i personally think that the govt should look at putting antidepressant medication into the water supply - imagine how much happier and more calm everyone would be...it would make an interesting study proposal....who knows where it would lead?! would we continue doing what we do?

Know this was meant for a ha!ha!......... and I would be ha! ha!ing' also, if I hadn't heard it so much.......

but back to something that carpe de um stated so well.....

antidepressants are not a happy pill.......

they just give you the ability to think and to think clearly....

"to be normal if you will".......

remember folks, it is a chemical imbalance.......

yes, there are situational depressions in which the chemical imbalance may have not been there, but something changes within the system(either hormonal, neurotransmitters, combination).................

so i say again.....

carpedeum

thx for an excellent thread.....

to you and to all.......

rather with this diagnosis or no.......

be well

eat right

exercise,

see your doc regularly....

take care of yourself.....

like yourself........

take whatever medication you need......

and if it doesn't work with your doctor.....

find one that does work.........

life is too short.......

live, live, live

:kiss

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

I don't think the incidence of depression is necessarily higher in our profession than it is in others, nor are we more likely to seek help than the average person. In fact, medical people are often the worst patients of all (I should know---I go to the doctor only when I've got one foot in the grave). I finally went on Paxil a year and a half ago, some 30 years after my first episode of depression when I was a teenager. I've had about half a dozen of these in my life, and they lasted for months on end. I never knew I was even in one until I was almost out, and of course when I was young you didn't talk about it because you didn't want anyone to think you were "crazy". I only got help this last time because it was the first one I'd ever had that didn't have a precipitating event that triggered it, and while I haven't been suicidal since my 20s, I kept thinking there were worse things than death.......namely, going on feeling the way I did. Now, we nurses know all the clinical stuff about depression and can tell some one else how to take care of themselves, but it's different when it's us---we're not as good at taking care of ourselves. But that's true of most women in general, and most nurses are women even in this enlightened age. And let's face it, more women than men suffer from depression. I just wish people would get over the idea that it's a sign of weakness to take a medication that restores equilibrium to the chemical soup that nourishes our brains. For the first time in my life I know what it is to feel normal, and while I sometimes resent the fact that I have to take a pill to stay on an even keel, I'm thankful that it's available to me. And if that makes me weak in some people's eyes, well, so be it.

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I have lived with depression since I was a teenager. I started taking Prozac in 93 or thereabouts, and was told I had to come off after 9 months. Subsequent rounds of the med were less effective. My new doctor put me on Effexor, but I was not regular with the med, and ended up asking to be admitted when it got too much to bear. I was only in the hospital for a day and a half, and was so intensely uncomfortable with the general population that I begged to be discharged. The doc did increase my Effexor dosage, and gave me the speech about treating depression just like diabetes and to stop being non-compliant. About a year ago, I realized that, if I missed a dose of Effexor, I would go into withdrawal. I want to warn you all that, while it isn't addictive, there is a withdrawal with the med. I got switched over to Celexa a few weeks ago, and only had about 3 days of withdrawal symptoms, luckily. The doc called it a panic attack, or hyperventilation, because I got numb around my mouth, and on the tip of my tongue. I thought I was having a seizure.

I really wonder if others out there have experienced any problems with Effexor.

I think it is funny, not in a ha ha way....I read those s/s of depression, and the suggestion to get help immediately if you have a suicide plan. I developed my suicide plan years ago. I haven't ever acted on it, but it is there, like an exit sign, just in case things get bad again.

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Originally posted by micro

be well

eat right

exercise,

see your doc regularly....

take care of yourself.....

like yourself........

take whatever medication you need......

and if it doesn't work with your doctor.....

find one that does work.........

life is too short.......

live, live, live

:kiss

This is a beautiful word usage, right up to the point where you say like yourself. It would have to be more than like. You HAVE TO love yourself to the max, or the second max if you are into god. If you merely like yourself, and you love some other thing more, it can destroy you. Make it love...that sweet and warm laughter of love! I'm sorry micro, just chidding :-(

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