re: something to consider...

very well written elkpark, I agree with you.

This is something that has been talked about quite a bit over the years in the psych community. Although your rates of problems seem high (you didn't specify over how long a period of time all this has happened), it often seems that psych staff have more problems than the general public.

I, personally, have three theories about this, but can never decide which one I think is most valid:

1) Crazy people are attracted to psych as a career ...

2) Working in psych drives us crazy ...

3) We're not really any crazier than the people in other healthcare specialties, we're just more comfortable being open about it. :chuckle

But, seriously, in my experience of ~20 years in psych, it does seem that a significant number of the people (not all!) who are working in psych (esp. in the kind of positions that require less formal education/training, although not exclusively) are attracted to it because, on some level, they are looking for help with their own problems. And I'm not the only person who has observed this phenomenon -- it is commonly discussed in psych circles. Please, whoever may be reading this, make sure you've got your own cr@p dealt with (at least, under control!) before you go into psych! Over the years, I've worked with lots of nurses and aides who were clearly more dysfunctional and troubled than many of our clients (and I'm talking on inpatient units ... :uhoh21: d)

I don't mean to sound like I'm condemning or looking down on anyone -- I've certainly had my share of problems, issues, and difficult periods in my life. But the trick, I think, is to be self-aware enough to take the steps necessary to maximize your own mental/emotional health and do your best to keep your personal stuff from bleeding over into the workplace. Unfortunately, not everyone who is working in psych is able (or willing, as the case may be) to do that.

Beware of anyone in a "helping profession" working so hard to help others! The more "selfless" the scarier. It is often a way to take their attention off their own "issues". How many nurses are in abusive marriages, weird relationships, kids a total mess,etc. Trust me...I am NOT pointing the finger. Been there, done that, know MY limitations for "fixing" others before myself. I think it is a professional hazzard...

the idea for this post came to me while elucidating someone in another post...

since i've worked in the psych field 6 staff have commit suicide since i've been employed here, several fired for intimate relations with clientele, a few fired for showing up drunk to work, at least two for stealing meds....

I've found this to be more prevalent in the psych field... have any of you found this type of stuff to happen in other areas of nursing as it does in the psych field?? and what does this suggest about the psych field to any of you that have shared the same type of experiences?

Since you work in psych, could you know if the stats someone told me are true...that 90% of nurses are on antidepressants? Someone quoted that to me one night on a cardiac floor, and sure enough, everyone but me was on antidepressants! I was honestly shocked(although, I know I shouldn't be). I just wondered if you had ever heard that???

Yes, I have met lots of nurses on benzo's and what not...

to the other guy posting up there... i've worked in the psych field about 6 years now....

It's devistating when someone, a coworker, you wouldn't have suspected otherwise winds up dead from suicide. Then you learn they had a diagnosis and all this other info comes out about them... you think to yourself.. "didn't I know this person?! "

You just don't know who you know until you know, you know?

I worked with a counselor some time ago. The facility we worked at ended up closing down due to no more long-term care funding. He was great with the clientele and despite appearing to be gay, which is no big woop to me, was a very competent counselor. Then, BAM! he's on the news being prosecuted for molesting a client, young boy of 12 years old. Totally blew my mind and now I don't always trust my first impressions.

But you know, you'd hope that if something were sever enough in our lives to want to end them we'd at least follow by the example we set for our clientele and connect with the EAP or something. So it goes back to there just being some pretty unstable people in the psych arena.

Since you work in psych, could you know if the stats someone told me are true...that 90% of nurses are on antidepressants? Someone quoted that to me one night on a cardiac floor, and sure enough, everyone but me was on antidepressants! I was honestly shocked(although, I know I shouldn't be). I just wondered if you had ever heard that???

Beware of anyone in a "helping profession" working so hard to help others! The more "selfless" the scarier. It is often a way to take their attention off their own "issues". How many nurses are in abusive marriages, weird relationships, kids a total mess,etc. Trust me...I am NOT pointing the finger. Been there, done that, know MY limitations for "fixing" others before myself. I think it is a professional hazzard...

:) :) amen to that! besides, problems aside, a little crazy isssssss big fun!!!!!!!! different out look on life, easier to enjoy it. :rotfl: :rotfl:

Beware of anyone in a "helping profession" working so hard to help others! The more "selfless" the scarier. It is often a way to take their attention off their own "issues". How many nurses are in abusive marriages, weird relationships, kids a total mess,etc. Trust me...I am NOT pointing the finger. Been there, done that, know MY limitations for "fixing" others before myself. I think it is a professional hazzard...

Very interesting post. I have often thought that a majority of nurses are trying to heal something in their own past while in the profession of helping others.

I agree with you. It seems like people with emotional problems who

themselves have been helped through tough times in a psych unit,

want to work there to help someone like themselves. I think it's the

same for alot of different nursing specialties. For example, if you had

a great experience during childbirth, you might choose to become a

labor/delivery nurse. I have known a few RNs who had a premie baby

and then proceeded to move to a NICU. They can see what a fine

job the nurses and staff members do, and they want to be a part of

that. However, I'm sorry to hear that those psych nurses took thier

own lives. You would think that they would know when and how to find help

when the going got tough.

the idea for this post came to me while elucidating someone in another post...

since i've worked in the psych field 6 staff have commit suicide since i've been employed here, several fired for intimate relations with clientele, a few fired for showing up drunk to work, at least two for stealing meds....

I've found this to be more prevalent in the psych field... have any of you found this type of stuff to happen in other areas of nursing as it does in the psych field?? and what does this suggest about the psych field to any of you that have shared the same type of experiences?

Just from observation of where I worked while in nursing school (NA on psych floor), it does seem that people with mental issues are often attracted to the psych field -- MDs & RNs alike. This does not describe the vast majority of professionals in psych, of course.

Very interesting post. I have often thought that a majority of nurses are trying to heal something in their own past while in the profession of helping others.

i had a psych instructor who said that you cannot offer counsiling help to someone else unless you have been through some yourself. i think this is true with any aspect. i think you have better insight and empathy for the person you are helping.

i think there has to be a line though. i wonder about those who have committed suicide. i wonder if they showed signs to any co workers. hind sight but i just wonder. we often are shocked that a co worker would do something extreme. did we see signs and just chalk them up to stress? or did we just ignore them and think, "no, not them...." just a thought.

Beware of anyone in a "helping profession" working so hard to help others! The more "selfless" the scarier. It is often a way to take their attention off their own "issues". How many nurses are in abusive marriages, weird relationships, kids a total mess,etc. Trust me...I am NOT pointing the finger. Been there, done that, know MY limitations for "fixing" others before myself. I think it is a professional hazzard...

Now that you mention it, I don't think I really want to work psych now. You post is very well taken. I had been volunteering on an adult locked unit for over a year. My NM talked me into renewing my RN license and go to work there. I had been in that hospital once for 3-4 days for depression and just thought it was the nicest place, hence my ending up as a volunteer.

However, I think I was in love with the staff more than anything else and had worked with the same people, the same night every week. But I began seeing other things. Sometimes when my "group" was not intact and other persons were there, I found it not so pleasant sometimes. I saw more and more of long-time employees, RNs to UNA's that treated patients, let's say, poorly. Eventually, I had to admit to myself that I sometimes became rather irritated (not openly, I was always professional) and began to see some of the same self-centered patients, that had no intention of changing, and realizing this area was pretty much a stabilization point, with many of them returning with nothing changing. And also starting to lose patience.

I was fascinated with some of the diseases like schizophrenia, but started to realize that there were more depression and bi-polars than anything else and these people were just not going to change. It kind of felt like in the beginning, I was helping then realized I probably am not really making a difference. I guess I wanted to see change. It was kind of like when I first graduated from nursing school. My first job was in a teaching hospital. I learned a lot and it was exciting because there was always a code. But in time I came to realize, hey, these are indigent, already on their way out, and this was a teaching hospital.

Recently also, changing days and working with different staff, I have found some of the staff rather "strange" and downright mean. Not that this does not happen everywhere else, but I guess I felt rather bad when I saw some of the patients mistreated, like the confused or vulnerable patients. The sad thing is no one will report the abuse of certain staff because they are held hostage for fear of losing their jobs or retaliation.

I also came to see different sides of a couple of nurses emerge also and not to the positive. So I guess I can say it was a good learning experience making me take heed.

Sorry if this was too long winded. I have been getting a lot of replies back from applications I have made. Today, I got an email from a recruiter responding to my resume, "what kind of job are you interested in?" I replied, "possibly ambulatory care or recovery." Lol. At any rate, I am going to take my time and be very careful of any job I take.

Thanks for listening.