Nursing Student but i think i sorta have a mental issue?

Nurses Disabilities

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I think not eating makes me feel somewhat in control :( as bad as that sounds. I feel that at the end of the day all I have is me and this body, that I can do whatever I want to it. I am 130lbs at 5'4 and ever since I was 11 I have been 'dieting' to lose weigh,I'm now 21yrst. I went thru a secretive cycle of eating a lot of food and then puking it since I 'did bad' on my diet.about a year ago but then stopped and severely restricted which got me down to 110lbs.

I feel so ashamed and embarrased about all this.I am in college to be an RN and honestly I can't seek help since getting a license also depends on my psychiatric history.:confused:

I want to get better, I want a healthy normal relationship with food. I just don't know where or how to fix all this. I don't have any other issues like drinking, smoking etc nor under any prescrib meds.

Lately, I have mounting financial problems bc I don't get much support from my single mom who has been divorced frm my dad since I was 10 and fulltime college stress that I have been living of a pot of coffee, water and some tea. I have lost my appetite, its like a switch and I workout to rejoice in the lightheadedness.

I want to get better, my weight is going down, I have been avoiding my friends.. I stay in my room and cry.

Please help.. Thx

Specializes in School Nursing.

We cannot give medical advice on this board, so we are walking a thin line here. Hopefully I am not overstepping it.

Not only CAN you seek help, you MUST. As you say, this is the only body you have. What good will a career as a nurse be if you are not healthy enough to work? Please take care of yourself, body, mind, and soul. You are worth it to the world!

Call your state BON...seeking professional assistance for a problem does NOT rule you out as a nurse! If it did I would think many of us would be out of our careers. In many states, the BON asks you if you have been treated for major psych issues. I cannot imagine any BON denying a license to someone who has been treated for an eating disorder.

Please, please please get some help.

Thanks so much for ur input. I'm not seeking any medical advise and do not intend to sue anyone either.

I'm just so LOST and confused! I don't want to throw all my hard work and studying away only to be rejected my license.

I don't have anyone to turn to, except for school and well I can't talk to them about it if it may interfere with my licensing or getting accepted in clinicals. Sigh.. I wish I knew where to get help.. I'm thinking church maybe?

Thanks again hun

Lots of nurses have mental health histories and are in treatment for different things, but have no difficulty getting and maintaining a license. The question is whether someone's particular problem/difficulty interferes with her/his ability to provide safe care to others. I personally have known and worked with RNs with eating disorders, and it didn't affect their licensure at all.

I encourage you (strongly) to seek professional help with your concerns. If your college has a "student health services" (might be called something different) or counseling office/clinic, that would be a good place to start. Another possibility would be your family physician (or whoever you see outside of the college for health concerns), or your local public mental health clinic.

Please talk to someone professional about this. In my experience over the years, you don't need to be concerned about whether this will interfere with your getting licensed later on.

Best wishes!

Specializes in School Nursing.

Your school should have a counseling services and it should be confidential, but double check their policies of course. You could also look at community organizations specializing in mental health. In my area we have county MHMR facilities. Church is another place to start, even if only for referrals to other organizations. I don't know what faith you are, but early in my marriage when hubby and I were having trouble and were broke, we got counseling through Catholic Charities, who has a sliding scale for payment. We paid $7 per session. For those who could not afford it, it was free. You did not have to be Catholic to use their services. Where ever you find it, I hope you find help and peace. Take care.

Specializes in geriatrics, rehab, med-surg, psychiatric.

I am 5'4 and weight a lot less than you...I have had a history of GI problems such as celiac' disease, B12 deficiency and lactose intolerant. I have always let my employers know that I need to take my lunch break and my 15 minutes to eat. Anyways there is such a thing as "reasonable accomodations". I think you need to re-evaluate yourself and make sure you don't get labeled as having an eating disorder but getting "evaluated for one". It sounds like you might want to become a psychiatric nurse.

Jeanine

OP, it sounds like you have some insight into these feelings that you are struggling with. Seeking professional help for an ED isn't something that's going to harm your future nursing license!

Please don't be afraid to go to a medical professional with these concerns. It sounds like you already know this is the correct step to take - consider this an encouraging PUSH to go and do it. Good luck with your health.

Hi there!

Bravo to you for coming forward with your issue. It takes courage to do so.

I think that you need to seek help. Privately!! It is not anyones business what your issue is, unless you make it theirs. Unfortunately, the medical field does have a stigma associated with mental illness, so I have always kept it private. No one at school needs to know. You are not a danger to yourself (not suicidal) or others (not homicidal)....so it is not something that will effect your licensure.

Mental issues, unfortunately, bring tremendous amounts of shame upon us....perhaps it is society's negative view of mental illness. There is a reason you are doing what you are doing. You mentioned control. Did you feel powerless and unable to control things as a child? (perhaps during the divorice you mentioned?) Seeking help, perhaps counceling and medication, will help you to identify the trigger. There is a method to our madness.....a reason we are the way we are. If we can figure it out, we can try to find different ways to deal with it.

Church is a wonderful idea. I go to a nondenominational christian church. Very non judging. Something I finds that helps me is the serenity prayer:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;

Courage to change the things I can;

And the Wisdom to know the difference.

You cannot change the past. It has happened, it is done.

What you can change is today. Pray for courage to get through the day. Pray for courage to do the the right thing.

Our body is our temple. Try to think of it like that...Jesus wants us to take care of it.

You are on the right path...you have done one of the hardest things.....admitting there is a problem. I pray God gives you the courage and stength to take the next step.

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