Nursing intervention for schizophrenic patient having sex?

Specialties Psychiatric

Published

I had an argument with a collegue, I am not a psychiatric nurse rather a pediatric nurse.

What do you do when you see 2 schizophrenic patients having sex? will you stop them? or let them because it's a physiologic need..

Specializes in home health, dialysis, others.

For the vast majority of hospitalized patients, intercourse does not seem to be one of the 'prescribed' modalities. Privacy is obviously an issue, as is appropriateness of this activity in an acutely ill person. Who is getting the medical 'benefit' here?

I have no issue with partner snuggling as a comfort measure, with the non-hospitalized person usually remaining clothed!

If you are speaking of an LTC facility, each place needs to set policies for its residents. How can someone be certain that a mentally challenged individual is truly consenting? It is a facility issue, and needs to be addressed as such, so there can be guidelines.

There may always be exceptions but the patient's needs should always come first.

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Specializes in Emergency Department/Trauma.
Will a person die if they don't have sex?

As a man I will answer this one, yes, yes we will.

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Specializes in Peds Hem, Onc, Med/Surg.
As a man I will answer this one, yes, yes we will.

Oh man you beat me to it. I was going to say for some men, yes, yes they will. :D

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Specializes in Addictions, Acute Psychiatry.

ditto...certain death without sex!

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Ok,I'll show my ignorance...beast with two backs???:o

I'm guessing that's a reference to sex,but one I have not heard before

Sheepishly,

Sheilagh

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Specializes in Addictions, Acute Psychiatry.

Beast with two backs...I just got that after you posted your comment! roflmao!

It's nothing different than when some doc decides to take that nurse that went into the profession "to find a doctor husband" and give her a trial run in the exam room. Just say *** are you DOING? (not literally)!

If they're gonna get intimate, address it and set aside personal views or feelings. Work out a way they have private time with no intrusions. Things happen and trust me, it happens more than we think right there in the room.

Maslow's hierarchy included sex but they took it off because they thought it would create too much controversy. Sex is a human need, though.

I agree if a patient has lost inhibitions they may not be competent and the facility can be liable (std's pregnancy, hypoxic enhanced sex and accidents, etc).

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
Ok,I'll show my ignorance...beast with two backs???:o

I'm guessing that's a reference to sex,but one I have not heard before

Sheepishly,

Sheilagh

I'll save us, Sheilagh. ;) I didn't get it either. "face to face sex". I had to go to urbandictionary.com to get that :imbar . Not the first time I've had to go over there to decipher a crude colloquialism from allnurses, either. :chuckle

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Ok,I'll show my ignorance...beast with two backs???:o

I'm guessing that's a reference to sex,but one I have not heard before

Sheepishly,

Sheilagh

Yes, "making the beast with two backs" is a slang reference to sexual intercourse (of course, it only really makes sense if you think of the missionary position :)). It sounds pretty modern but actually goes back at least to Shakespeare -- he used it in Othello, if I remember correctly.

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Specializes in l.p.n.

All these sex stories makes me looking around the house for my husband LOL

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Specializes in Float.
All these sex stories makes me looking around the house for my husband LOL

:rolleyes: and how......

I had a woman who had a stroke after her heart surgery who's husband would not leave her alone. I mean this woman was totally unable to move, had a foley and an Ng tube and he just would not leave her alone. He would be in here, have her off the side of the bed, going at it, pulling her foley out. I mean this got OLD after a while. They spoke no English. They were from Italy. But boy, when the supervisor got up there (this was my first year as a nurse) she slammed open that door and told him to get back on that chair, yelling at him. He did not understand English but he understood her.

:hehe:

But then there was the prostitute who would come over to the county hospital where I worked (I worked in the ED) and she would take her clients in the stairwell to do the wild thing. We had to run her off a bunch of times. Her pimp would send her there because she could make more money there than on the streets. Never a dull moment.

:trout:

:yeah: Great replies guys!

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Specializes in ER.

that is an interesting question.... I would imagine if it's in a hospital, they would need to know what is appropriate and what is not.... they don't "need" to satisfy a physiologic need for sex any more than any other person does. We're not wild animals. Neither are schizophrenics.... reorientation I would imagine would be the best way to .... butt in. haa.

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Specializes in ER.
Will a person die if they don't have sex?

yes.

:D

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