Psych Staff in need of Support post tragedy

Jules A, MSN · Dec 21, 2008

I am so sorry you are faced with this. Is your facility providing any counseling or de-briefing?

gonzo1, ASN, RN · Dec 21, 2008

I am so sorry for your loss. Unfortunately in our culture people are expected to continue

business as usual and not waste any time grieving. This is so wrong. And I think this just

prolongs our sadness. If only we could all get together and just wail up a storm and let the

grief disapate a little.

In my experience most facilities don't have any type of debriefing etc. And there has been a

few times when I could have used it.

Please know that you have an online family here who cares and is open to talk to you when-

ever you need.

Take care of yourself and know that there is nothing you could have done to change the course o

of events.

Tippy-ta-ta · Dec 21, 2008

WOW I'm soo sorry. I work in a mental health outpatient clinic. But I have not had to deal with that. It must be hard when it's one of your own and not a patient commiting suicide.

At our local Psych Hosp, the child Psychiatrist tried to kidnap and kill his ex-girlfriend. He ended up shooting her fiance, paralyzing him, and then shot himself in her back yard.

I didn't know the guy, but some of the therapist and other nurses did.

I hope things get better.

inthesky · Dec 22, 2008

My condolences to your unit. I really hope that everyone is communicating with each other and healing together. People who work in behavioral health are certainly not immune to emotional distress.

:icon_hug:

thegreenmile · Dec 22, 2008

Debriefing counselors visited briefly and met with groups of us but it was too soon really, the day we found out. Most were in shock and disbelief and were not too comfortable venting these emotions in a group setting.

1:1 counseling sessions are offered, 3 to each employee, but with so many of us, we cant get in for over a month.

On top of this, the facility has lost 4 employees in a matter of 2 months to death. It really hits you hard when it happens in multiples.

We did meet at a very nice restaraunt as a group to just "be with each other" which was nice.

He was the pillar of the mental health community, the foundation of our work, the "Go To Guy" when all else was under fire....we have a terrible void in our hearts, coupled with confusion and sorrow.

Thank you all for your support and sharing, I will post your messages in the break room, it will help us all heal.

indigo girl · Dec 22, 2008

I am so very sorry. My unit has been having quite a bit of education since two patient suicides occurred in July. One fact that I learned was that even our psychiatrists are at risk in this field. There is lots of precedent for this type of event, and sometimes one suicide can lead to another also as it did on our unit. Try to support each other as best as you can. Get help for yourself even if you have to pay for it privately. Each individual reacts differently, but none are unaffected by that death. Suicide impacts us very deeply. It is a terrible, terrible thing that will take time for your staff to process. Again, I am so sorry for your loss.

If you work for a regular hospital, you should expect to get support as well from the other units of the hospital. That may not sound like much but in reality it does mean something when you get cards, and words of sympathy from other hospital staff. It means emotional support. It means that they care about their colleagues on the psych unit.

I know the feeling of a staff in shock and grief only too well, but how very awful it must be to lose one of your own that you obviously cared very much about. My unit has another inservice scheduled today on suicide. We have had many of these. I suspect that I might be the med nurse today, and not able to attend but if I do, I will bring up your staff situation, and see if our mental health counselor has any advice for you.

I do understand how difficult it can be to vent emotion in a group situation. For the first few months, all I could do was cry whenever I had to attend one of these inservices or groups, forget about talking, I couldn't do it, and thinking about what happened is still painful though less so with some distance from the events.

Take advantage of whatever counseling and help that you can get. Sometimes even things like getting body work (massage, reflexology, polarity) can help you to release grief and tension though it might be totally strange to think about that kind of release, it does help. If your hospital has an Integrative Medicine department, ask for their assistance with any staff that wants it. Also if you know of any therapeutic touch practitioners on staff, some hospitals do have them. They can help some staff also if in accordance with their belief systems. Touch can be very healing, and right now your staff needs all of the healing that they can get.

I am off to do my 16 hours, but will check this thread tonight to see how you are doing. Remember that you are not alone, and the members here are very willing to help and support you.

aloevera · Dec 30, 2008

My condolences to you and your colleagues....Unfortunately, in the field that we work in there are many people with mental health issues themselves and things like this do occur....we always process immediately after any tragedy and then again with a counselor if requested...yes, I agree, it is too soon to open up and discuss anything immediately after such a grave occurrence. But by all means, discuss with a counselor the tragedy and just having someone to talk to is the most important thing that you need right now....you need to vent your feelings and questions....

we are all here for you and praying for you....

wonderbee, BSN, RN · Dec 30, 2008

I'm very sorry. It's a reminder of the vulnerability of all caregivers in this field. Also many cargivers are drawn to the profession because of a personal history. Statistics bear that out to be true.

Some of us work on locked units. How many people do we know in the "normal" world have to carry keys around and a personal alarm to go from one place to another, never knowing for sure what kind of response is going to be required when just taking a walk on the unit?

We could all use some help here. I would like to see a built-in mechanism for supervision, like some psychiatrists are required to go through during their early practice. 1:1s with a peer professional, confidential and therapeutic. Groups may not provide the safety that a 1:1 with a trusted knowledgeable individual could provide. Will what is said in the room stay in the room?

The safest place to vent may be with a private therapist that you choose on the outside or maybe your HR can refer you through their employee resources department.

indigo girl · Dec 31, 2008

As terrible as it was for the staff, I have to ask, how did the patients cope? Did they know that their physician had committed suicide? How was that information handled?

What an awful thing for them to hear...

thegreenmile · Dec 31, 2008

Management decided not to reveal it to the patients. I dont know exactly what they were told though, but we did not encounter any problems with the patients.

DavidLCPCCSADC · Dec 31, 2008

My prayers and best wishes go out to you and the staff.

Although it's of little help now, the time to have the safety net (support network) in place is before people need it. Many of us are blessed with a supportive fellowship that is available 24/7......it's a good idea to have a personal network of peers that allows you the freedom to "circle the wagons" in a spiritual sense.