On verge of nervous breakdown

Published

Specializes in Telemetry, Med-Surg, ED, Psych.

Hello all. I just need to vent for a minute. I seriously feel like I am on the verge of a nervous breakdown. I am constantly exhausted (even after deep restorative sleep), I have very tender spots of muscle aches/spasms in my shoulders and neck, nausea, "Brain Fog", and alternating periods of either sleeping alot or total insomnia.

I feel like I am going insane. All the stress at work that I have "Put aside" for later is finally catching up with me. The whole customer service crap is undermining my ability to CARE for my patients. Rather, I and other nurses have become SLAVES to management, patients, visitors and accrediting angencies.

I am a 28 year old guy, but i feel like I am 60. :cry:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in med/surg.

I am right there with you: (find my post on near mental breakdown several pages ago). I had to seek medical attention, put on antidepressants and am currently on a 3 week medical leave. Where I go from here is anyone's guess. I wish you well in the sincerest of ways.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

:icon_hug:

you're not alone

Are you able to take some time off from work? Or maybe think of moving to a different area of nursing? When I went from hospital nursing to clinic, my stress level dropped dramatically. When I went back to hospital nursing the stress level jumped right back up.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Take some time off work and see your doctor. If you have to, tell your boss you must, for health reasons. You need to get to the bottom of this and deal with it before it gets to you, or becomes an ongoing problem. Good luck.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

if you go see a doc you can ask him to let you off work for a few days so you can sort things out a bit, but do go see a doctor please

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in med surg.

I am right there with you besides the stress of work, higher acuity patients with less staff or the right number of staff but only 1 seasoned nurses and the rest only out of school ayear or less, there is family stress for me.

My one son is unemployed and with this economy you know how hard that will be for him to find a job, he can't make his car payments and so I am helping with that but today I had a problem of my own at home that is probably going to run into a fair amount of money to repair. You know how old houses are they can drain you but I thought we were alright for a while.

Anyway the best thing to do is take a few days off, you have sick time for a reason and if you need it for your mental health take it because as you know mental stress leads to physical symptoms. We must take care of ourselves first before we can take care of others.

Feel better , I will keep you in my thoughts.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

What is your schedule? Is there flexibility at your facility. I recently started scheduling work at least every other day, so now, no matter what is going on at work, I can always console myself that I don't have to go back to work tomorrow.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med-Surg, HH, Tele, Geriatrics, Psych.

I am right there with you! Friday night I had such an utterly horrendous night on our busy med-surg floor that I ended up with a migraine and other physical symptoms. I ended up having having to call out the next two nights.

I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and Adrenal Fatique. I take meds for both, but when I am severely stressed, my body seems to react very badly to the stress anymore. I have real "physical" symptoms, but since I don't look sick, I think some people think that I am "faking".

If not for the money. I would probably leave nursing forever. Right now, I am looking for something less stressful than med-surg.

Between the hospital being run like a five star hotel, the sheer amount of acutely ill patients and not enough staff to take care of them AND the backstabbing that goes on from co-workers, I have had about all I can take!

We already have two nurses out on sick leave-one for stress and one for pneumonia (and other things that I think were brought on by stress). Does that tell you anything?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psych, Med-Surg.

I feel your pain. I can't believe how hard this experience has been for me, and so many others. I work nights, and fight the over-sleeping and insomnia too. Mostly I've been depressed, but lately I've been getting mad! How dare they make us work short, make it impossible to take breaks, and put us in positions of having to see a psychiatrist over WORK! I think a lot of RNs are going to leave bedside once the economy picks up again. If I don't find a less stressful job, I will.

That said, you have to make the best decision for yourself. Try and get out of med-surg, change schedules, take a break. I wish you peace. Best if luck.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in med surg.

we are told that if we do not take breaks and lunch it is our own fault. We should be able to get away for that 30 minutes but make sure you do not incur incidental overtime either. So I take my lunch now and let OT fall where it may, most of the time I can still get done but if I am 30 minutes over I just say I took my lunch break and that is what happened.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I totally understand how you feel. I think there are many people that are going through the same thing on this site. Do you work an off shift? I am just wondering because since I started working 3rd, my personal life as turned to crap. I am so tired all the time, brain dead actually, I am miserable to be around. Like you, I go from sleeping constantly to insomnia.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in medical.

I do feel for you... There is so much abuse going on on med-surg... I work prn only, and never more than 1-2 x a week. I would rather be a babysitter earning some extra money than picking extra shifts. The other solution is to find a less stressful job as a nurse and continure education ( bachelor, master's), just in case, some better position opens up.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion