I am a nursing student, and I was in my clinical rotation recently and a floor nurse says to me, "that girl over there is a cutter ( she was pointing to a patient)" with a disgusted look on her face. I wanted to say "SO?"
Well, I have about 5 scars on my arms from cutting years ago that I hide with a long sleeve shirt.
A few months ago I went to the school health clinic for a check up and the nurse gave me a nasty look when she saw my arms and said, "Are you done with all that???" She made me feel absolutely horrible and I just started crying.
Here's my question.... why are these nurses so disgusted? Obviously someone has to be in some major turmoil to self inflict harm. I'm already ashamed and I live with it everyday when I look in the mirror.
I had a classmate ask me about them as well when I was wearing a t-shirt, before I could respond she said "oh, you're one of those"
I honestly don't like lying so when people ask me about my scars I usually just shrug and change the subject. Are colleagues going to think I'm mentally unstable?
That was staff splitting. I have worked and other types of nursing like labor and delivery and MedSurg and oncology. Most nurses are very compassionate people however there are patients that drive you crazy. It's just human nature. Long as you don't make the patient feel judged or show it during your nursing care or let it affect how you care for your patience I think it is normal human reactions. I don't know very many nurses who don't complain about their patients to other nurses.
Staff splitting for sure is crazy making, I'm not denying that. Mentioning in report that someone is staff splitting in report is totally different from people speaking disparagingly about patients. Not every nurse or staff does this, but there are those nurses and staff that I have seen literally roll their eyes and be like, "yeah, whatever" to ANY axis II pt. Not acceptable or therapeutic in the least. PD behaviors are exasperating no doubt but for Tue most part these pts are not trying to mess up your day. They are suffering, most of them terribly. These are coping methods they have learned over the years that "work" for them, that they've been able to survive on. Our job is to teach them better coping skills, not treat them like they're a nuisance. And trust me, I KNOW how hard that is. Axis II pts can sometimes make you want to beat your head against a wall. I AM not immune to feeling that way, but I'm also able to take a step back and examine why I'm having those feelings. I would hope that if I was no longer able to do that, Id have the wisdom to know that psych isn't the right place for me anymore.
Specializes in Medsurg/ICU, Mental Health, Home Health.
All mental health has a stigma...but the thing about cutting is that it leaves a physical sign. I can't look at you and tell if you have been hospitalized for depression, or if you have a history of psychosis or OCD...but I can see those scars.
As others have stated, self-harm was almost fashionable in that sick heroin chic way around 2000ish. I think it's considered, by the ignorant, to be a way that emo chicks got attention.
I was not a cutter but I used to dig my nails into my upper arms until the skin was broken. I didn't realize it was a self-harm thing at the time. I thought self harm was only cutting with an object, not my own body.
I feel for you. I wish people were more educated on the subject. We all have things in our past that we are pained to remember. It's a shame some are displayed outwardly.
Terp, all true all true. Simply saying that nurses need to blow off steam once in a while. Doesn't mean we're not being therapeutic or compassionate to our patients. I have met nurses who are extremely judgmental and I do feel that perhaps they should change specialties. They are in the minority, thank God. But in general nurses that I know are great people and use their knowledge and skills to help Axis 2 pts cope better. Another can of worms are substance abuse. ?
EVERYONE is judgmental to some degree... Except for maybe Jesus, mother Theresa, Dalai Lama :)
Oh and I would hope the eye rollers would do that behind closed doors and not in front of the patient. All of what I'm talking about is behind closed doors and between nurses and it's really not as horrible as it sounds.
I don't mean to keep backpedaling, I have OCD! I have tons of compassion for axis 2 clients because most of them have histories of horrible trauma. I also have a history of trauma so I do have understanding for their ways of coping with the pain. I have never been a cutter however I have own ways that aren't necessarily healthy. The previous poster said we all have something. Totally agree with that. If I saw another nurse rolling their eyes at a patient or showing their judgments toward a patient I would call them out on it..... In private of course.
Deliberate self harm, particularly via superficial cutting, is a manipulative action. Not all self harm is the product of emotional distress. It can be a form of revenge, and certainly as a method of eliciting attention. It forces an emotional response from people (psych nurses included) that they would not necessarily wish to impart under more normalised circumstances. Countertransference effects every psych nurse on the face of the planet. If you believe you are immune, you are actually the most dangerous - to yourself, your colleagues and your patients. Demonstrating an emotional response to a patient self harming demonstrates a level of emotional over-involvement - we should be impassive, and non-judemental, we should encourage healthy coping strategies, and gracefully discourage maladaptive coping mechanisms. Is saying ALL of that, however, it is impossible to work for an extended period in a psychiatric setting and not be effected emotionally. Good nurses always maintain a professional demeanour in dealings with patients. In the private company of your colleagues though, a vent of frustration, anger, and even disgust can be an essential component of a clinical 'debrief'.
In summary, that particular nurses behaviour was, in theory, unprofessional and unnecessarily confronting, particularly in front of a student. I would suggest, however, that it will be virtually impossible to work in a psychiatric setting without hearing judgmental comments RE: self harm - it is an inevitable coping strategy that psych nurses utilise in order to vent frustration and create a level of detachment. You may notice that psych nurses are renowned for a macabre sense of humour - its a defence mechanism. If you work in mental health, you will have to get used to it. I am happy to clarify any of my statements if they appear harsh or cynical. I love working in mental health and I have enormous compassion for all my patients.
For sure. I'm not talking about at the nurses station when you hear your friendly frequent flyer bpd (or apd, or drug seeker) is in the pipeline to he admitted AGAIN, turning to your co worker and saying, "Oh God Sallys coming back AGAIN". I'm talking about turning around and rolling eyes at every word Sally says when she gets there. I have certainly been guilty of the former in the past. The latter happens more than I care to think about.
So sorry you had that experience - those nurses are probably burnt to a crisp. When I have someone that is a cutter, my first is to question why & usually my next words are "Child, we need to find a better way to express those bad feelings - this isn't doing you any favors & it's not addressing the problem". I am not a cutter, so I really do not understand what motivates someone to harm like that, over & over again. YOU as a nurse can bring an insight to the table & an understanding that these people desperately need. The best thing I have found being a Psych nurse is that Everyone - no matter what side of the nurse station you are at - has problems, dysfunctions & struggle with anxiety, pressure, anger & depression. Those that deny it are lying to themselves. Everyone is just 1 or 2 events away from being a patient & we are not above any of those patients. Alcohol & addictions are a response to anxiety, anger & attempt to self medicate. Those with true mental health issues usually go off their meds, self medicate & then are back in the hospital. Ineffective coping skills is the norm & stay by stay, it is up to us to try to teach, help, nurse regardless if we can get thru to them or not. I leave the "will it stick" to faith & keep throwing positive guides & navigations at them. All the while, I learn how to guide & navigate my own rocky road (what's good for the goose & all that". Please do not let burned out nurses jade your choice to be a nurse. No matter what specialty you find, you have insights from your own experiences to help your patients on their road to recovery. Let yourself shine in nursing - you will never regret it!
babynurse73
142 Posts
That was staff splitting. I have worked and other types of nursing like labor and delivery and MedSurg and oncology. Most nurses are very compassionate people however there are patients that drive you crazy. It's just human nature. Long as you don't make the patient feel judged or show it during your nursing care or let it affect how you care for your patience I think it is normal human reactions. I don't know very many nurses who don't complain about their patients to other nurses.