Psychiatric patients and nurses have similar issues?

Have you heard similar remarks from medical nurses? Are they just insults or is there any truth to these beliefs?

[babynurse73]

I'm not sure what you mean

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Wendy

[caliotter3]

I had an instructor in nursing school that was a psych nurse. Definitely showed behaviors that indicated something was not right, unless that was nothing more than plain evil.

[ShelbyaStar]

I think he means that it's often said that people that are interested in psych tend to have their own slew of mental problems. It's a joke often made about psych students.

I would think it would apply a bit less to nurses as they generally don't have a lot of control over their treatment, and a lot of nurses kind of fall into psych. Personally I have some mental diagnoses and have always been interested in psych, but that doesn't really reflect upon my willingness to take a job in psych.

There may be some truth to it, but overall it's pretty insensitive since it implies people with mental illness are lesser people.

[caliotter3]

There are mental illnesses that are of the "personality disorder" type that people tend to have more of a negative reaction to. Difficult for the layperson to distinguish between someone with a personality disorder and someone who is just plain nasty.

[Pangea Reunited, ASN, RN]

I often hear things like that said ...but in a light-hearted, non-offensive manner.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Many moons ago I worked as a caregiver at a group home for developmentally disabled adults. Back in those days my mother used to joke that the longer a person works around certain populations, the more they begin to resemble those populations.

For instance, many correctional officers become shady over time, similar to the inmate populations they watch.

I briefly worked in psych as a medication nurse and loved it. I also have some 'issues' (PTSD, dysthymia, overuse of certain defense mechanisms).

[Mandychelle79, ASN, RN]

Heck, the patients think half the staff needs help as much as they do. When they say it to me ( and I do have some underlying issues) I just say... see what effective coping skills can do to help.

[brownbook]

I hate to admit it, but if I meet someone in the medical/nursing field, and get to know them and start to realize they are a little odd.....then I find out they work in some area of mental health...."Oh yeah, that explains it!" is my immediate reaction.

However I don't think, I hope, when I know ahead of time, someone works in mental health, I don't go in expecting them to be odd!

My husband worked in the mental health field 25 years. Still no excuse for my prejudice!

[brownbook]

PS....the stories my husband tells me about psychiatrists he has worked with would curl your toes!

[Registered Murse]

Thanks for the replies, I've heard it said both ways, with light heartedness and with horizontal violence. Insults reveal more than anything the insulter's own lack of self worth.

[Whispera, MSN, RN]

I think many nurses go into psych nursing because they love someone who has psych issues, including themselves. I think those nurses have a better understanding of what psych patients go through, and can be better at their job than others.

I think remarks like those given here can be joking (but joking has some belief behind it, doesn't it?), or nasty. I hope sometimes those remarks are intended to be compliments too...