Nurses with Severe Mental Illnesses

[PsychRNMac]

I'm a psychiatric RN and I am an individual with several mental disorders, including PTSD, borderline personality disorder, dependent personality disorder, psychotic depression, panic disorder, and bipolar II. I have been a huge ball of anxiety since accepting my job because I'll be caring for clients that have many of the same disorders I do; they've just been so unstable that they've committed a crime and are being held. I'm just wondering if there are any other RNs with any of these disorders and if so, how do you go about coping with feelings of inadequacy, nervousness, etc. I know that I will be a great psychiatric RN because can offer a new perspective to these clients because I have a great idea of how their brain is working. I keep telling myself this...I just can't shake the feelings I'm experiencing!

[dirtyhippiegirl, BSN, RN]

I don't know if I could be a straight up psych nurse, to tell you the truth. I don't know if I could straddle that line between discretely having empathy for a patient but not offering advice or speaking from my own perspective -- which is a huge no-no. (Although from my experiences as a patient, it's like my sixth admission to the unit in a year, sometimes a little normal human conversation is appreciated.)

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

I've never been an actual psych nurse, although I did run a small LTC unit with medical patients who also had significant psych issues. I also live with Bipolar 1 and have had some adverse experiences that eventually forced me to retire early. The first thing you need to know is that you shouldn't disclose your psychiatric diagnoses to your patients; not only can they be manipulative and turn your vulnerability against you, but it's a non-therapeutic approach almost 100% of the time. The focus of therapeutic communication is on the patient, not the nurse.

You will want to watch your preceptor(s) to see how they interact with patients. It's not uncommon for psych nurses to have mental health issues themselves but they virtually never share them. Yes, your perspective will be valuable because you'll be able to relate to some of their diagnoses, but remember, each person's experience of mental illness is different.

Wishing you the best of luck in your new career!