Are my patients at risk?

[apnurserock]

As I write this the words seem silly, but the feeling is heavy and its weighing me down badly. I am depressed because of being labeled; "crazy". I put on a big smile & if you saw me you wouldn't even have a clue that I was like this. I don't have any support. I am at my wits end because I think its going to affect my nursing career & I don't want to lose my license. I'm different person when i am on the nurse floor but what happens if one day that dark feeling of sadness clouds over me & I'm with a patient? I think I need to seek help before going to work, but i am scared of the outcome?

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Yes, please seek help- immediately. Do not go into work with this in mind.

We wish you the absolute best. Please take care of yourself.

[Graduatenurse14]

Depression is very real and very treatable with various types of therapies and lifestyle adjustments including medication, talk therapy, exercise, balanced diet, as well as many complementary ones such as acupressure and others. Also, implementing new boundaries with family/friends/work can make a world of difference.

It's nearly impossible to take care of others well if we aren't well. Yes, take steps now to support so you can start your career as a nurse! There are lots of nurses in therapy and on medications who don't share this with anyone at their job which I personally think is very wise.

The key to finding a good therapist is one that you trust, who you think "gets you" and helps you make goals and positive changes not just sit there and let you go on and on, ruminating about what is wrong but doesn't help guide you out of it. There are lots of different kinds of therapy out there CBT, ACT, DBT, Schema Therapy and others. Talk to your doctor about medication therapy which can be helpful as well.

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

There is no shame in having depression. You are not "crazy", you have a mental illness that many, many people have. It is treatable and manageable. Please be kind to yourself and get help; you owe yourself nothing less. (((((HUGS))))) to you.

[MrChicagoRN, RN]

This is the only serious post of yours that I've seen. You've posted a lot of threads here, most of them superficial and irrelevant. In one, you said you were trying to network (connect?).

You state you've been labeled as being crazy, and express concerns over your capabilities.

I don't know if you are working or not, but if you are, I'd encourage you to find out if your employer offers an Employee Assistance Program. These services are free, and confidential, and can help point you in the right direction to get the help that you need. There's no need to suffer.