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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.
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).
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!
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...
Registered Murse
7 Posts
Have you heard similar remarks from medical nurses? Are they just insults or is there any truth to these beliefs?