Hero to Zero

[satis17]

Hi,

I've been in nursing for 16 plus years and due to happenstance have found myself moving on. Part of my journey included a tough wake up call, waking up in an inpatient psychiatric unit after having a psychotic manic reaction to a SSRI. Even after I became stable, as a psychiatric patient I had absolutely zero credibility, I was even patronized when I asked about the medications I was given. In the begining, when I tried to explain that I was a nurse, my statements were quoted as part of my "psychosis." The story does go on and on from this point, but my interest is now if other people have had any simliar experience. Also, in stories of losing jobs or licenses due to mental illness. Even the experence or stima or prejudice by people in the medical or mental health profession towards your mental illness. You can either reply directly to this thread or to me privately. I am using the information in a paper describing the marginalization of people with mental health challenges, and that even the use of the term mental illness reinforces marginalization- it seperates it from a physical illness though many are chemical imbalances in the brain and COULD be classified as a physical illness. etc etc etc.

[MQ Edna]

I think he was saying that just to have something to say. One of those off-handed remarks we hardly ever think about before saying it.... but it still shows you what he's really thinking about when he talks to nurses.

[woody62, RN]

I suffered my firsyt depressive epsiode in 1966, while a junior in nursing school. I was misdiagnosed. I suffered my second depressive episode in 1973 and saw a shrink for three years. I was finally referred to a shrink who diagnosed me as Bipolar and started treating me properly. I went off lithium in 1981 without any problems. In 1990 I suffer from a deep depression and was hospitalized on a psych unit. I was hospitalized there, for months at a time, for the next five years. The nursing staff treated me as someone who knew what she had to do to get better and refused to do it. Two nurses became my friends and realized I was just like any other patient and treated me so. I was also transferred to the care of a psych N.P.

By 1981 I realized that hiding my bipolar was not helping me. I started sharing with a few select peers. I now do not care who knows about my history. I have lived too long to worry about what others may think of me, including my peers. We all have to make our own decisions about our sharing.

Woody:balloons:

[Liddle Noodnik]

I suffered my firsyt depressive epsiode in 1966, while a junior in nursing school. I was misdiagnosed. I suffered my second depressive episode in 1973 and saw a shrink for three years. I was finally referred to a shrink who diagnosed me as Bipolar and started treating me properly. I went off lithium in 1981 without any problems. In 1990 I suffer from a deep depression and was hospitalized on a psych unit. I was hospitalized there, for months at a time, for the next five years. The nursing staff treated me as someone who knew what she had to do to get better and refused to do it. Two nurses became my friends and realized I was just like any other patient and treated me so. I was also transferred to the care of a psych N.P.

By 1981 I realized that hiding my bipolar was not helping me. I started sharing with a few select peers. I now do not care who knows about my history. I have lived too long to worry about what others may think of me, including my peers. We all have to make our own decisions about our sharing.

Woody:balloons:

Thanks Woody

[Mimi 48]

I have had a expereince much different than yours I was sick for one year everone told me it was all in my head . You see I could not have a bowel movement and they told that was impossible that I would die if I could not do that but I was not eating but because I was over weight that was not seen of course I was losing weight but not at a rapid amount to make them happy enough to do any thing about it so I suffer for a year they sent me to a phsychyictrist 6 times, can you beleive that and he said the same thing every time there was nothing wrong mentallly. Well one year and six months later I ended up in the ER throwing up voilently and they could not stop it with coffe ground emesis and guess what my whole entire large intentines had died. Just thing if they had listen to this crazy women maybe she would not be in the prediment she is in. Heh! Thanks for Listening.!:heartbeat

[Liddle Noodnik]

I have had a expereince much different than yours I was sick for one year everone told me it was all in my head . You see I could not have a bowel movement and they told that was impossible that I would die if I could not do that but I was not eating but because I was over weight that was not seen of course I was losing weight but not at a rapid amount to make them happy enough to do any thing about it so I suffer for a year they sent me to a phsychyictrist 6 times, can you beleive that and he said the same thing every time there was nothing wrong mentallly. Well one year and six months later I ended up in the ER throwing up voilently and they could not stop it with coffe ground emesis and guess what my whole entire large intentines had died. Just thing if they had listen to this crazy women maybe she would not be in the prediment she is in. Heh! Thanks for Listening.!:heartbeat

Oh mimi how incredibly sad! So what did they do? I am glad you survived!

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

I've not had the horror stories you folks have written here, but oh my heart hurts for you. Last August my family called EMS because I had a seizure out of nowhere. At the time the emts were so nice, I got a nice ride to the hospital I'd just had my surgery at the week before. Then I "overheard" one tell the triage nurse that they didn't start an IV because they really didn't think I needed one and I was just "on" something. Hmmmmm

Long, long story follows but nevermind.

Short story is my daughter God bless her stood by my side in the observation room and called out to the nurse tht my heart wasn't beating for long stretches.

Of course I don't rmember this because no heart beat means no brain perfusion. I had runs of up to 9 seconds of asystole several times an hour. Well I got scooted over to the cards room, ext pacer (those things HURT) upstairs to CCU, heart cath, and a pacemaker the next day.

Portion of the long story is I too take SSRIs and have for over a decade. That is what the emt must have based his "DIAGNOSIS" on. I'm depressed at times, mostly not. I'm disabled not because of my mind but because I have a terrible nurses back and a floppy left leg. Nurses can get sick, believe it or not PUBLIC.....NURSES are truly people with all the people things the general population has. I am so sorry that you were not believed while you were on the psych unit. That is unconscionable. At that time you were a Patient-whose out of the unit job happened to be NURSE. Bless every one of you.

I knew someone who was treated with ect and has lost all her nursing knowledge. It's out there in the public domain so you might want to read about her.

http://www.ect.org/south-carolina-woman-wins-shock-suit/

[Liddle Noodnik]

Nurses can get sick, believe it or not PUBLIC.....NURSES are truly people with all the people things the general population has. I am so sorry that you were not believed while you were on the psych unit. That is unconscionable. At that time you were a Patient-whose out of the unit job happened to be NURSE. Bless every one of you.

I knew someone who was treated with ect and has lost all her nursing knowledge. It's out there in the public domain so you might want to read about her.

P You have quite the horror story yourself! WOW! You could be "not here" - either dead or brain injured due to 02 deprivation! Thing is I know as a nurse I said and thought judgemental things about my patients sometimes - yet when I was a patient I got a good taste of it.

It's almost like they hear "nurse" and they think "hypochondriac" or "wacko".

Ok, well on average maybe most nurses ARE nuts (to do the job in the first place ha ha) but that's beside the point!

I'm glad you are all right!!

As to the ECT - they WANTED to treat me with ECT and I said no - I knew that I only had half a brain left after all the chemicals I've had to take for my bipolar - I sure was not gonna let them kill the REST of it!