RN with dysthymia. Would mental health nursing / psych nursing be a bad job choice??

[VU RN BSN]

hello nurses! :heartbeat

would it be a poor choice in career change for a registered nurse with dysthymia (dysthymic disorder) to try out working in the psychiatric / mental health nursing field?

perhaps a better way to ask is this: do you have to be a completely emotionally healthy person in order to be a successfull psych nurse?

i suppose my thinking is that to be successfull in the mental health field, you yourself must be one of those optimistic extraverted people who is always postive and happy and is a people person who loves working with people in need? that you yourself must be in excellent mental health in order to do well in the psychiatric field? am i correct in thinking this?

i've been an rn for 4 years now. i've tried ccu, tele floor, ambulatory pacu, and home hospice. i just haven't found my niche yet. some people have suggested i try working in psych. but the things is, i have dysthymic disorder. i've struggled with dysthymia for years. officially diagnosed with dysthymia my senior year of college/nursing school, but i've probably had it since high school. i do have a christian therapist who i see for christian counseling and i read a lot of books about depression treatment and depression recovery. but, i'm wondering if it would be a very bad idea for a healthcare professional who has dysthymia to try out a job in the psych field?

what do you think? thoughts / suggestions / experiences??

[natnurse23]

hi,

your answer is of course you can! i think everyone has some problems and psych is a great place (im biased because im a psych nurse!)

besides- that's like saying you have to be perfectly medically healthy to work in the areas you've worked! not likely. i say go for it. you can learn so much about yourself working there. good luck to you!

[Cree8ive1]

Hey, Villanova!

I totally agree with the previous poster, and would say to go for it! Honestly, how many people out there in this world do you know who are "completely emotionally healthy?" I'd venture to guess the answer is VERY FEW! I can't think of a single one. And you have a diagnosis and are dealing with it the best way you can -- that makes you a productive member of this world, and I'll bet you've got valuable stuff to contribute.

I just finished my psych rotation and I just loved it. And the people who work there were just themselves, just like anywhere else. They don't walk around with fake, glassed-over, phony smiles plastered on their faces.

Good luck to you!

[Jules A, MSN]

I'd agree that you should give it a try if you think it might be interesting to you. I'm going to throw this out there and feel free not to answer if you aren't comfortable but are you taking any medications to augment your therapy? They can be very helpful.

[laketrash]

hi,

of course you can and guess what? you have an advantage because you can have empathy. go for it!!:heartbeat

[I love my cat!]

I think it would be great to try it. That way if you do (or don't) like it, at least you tried instead of not trying at all and then always asking yourself if that would have been the area that you would have enjoyed.

Please, keep us updated on what happens.

Wishing you well! :heartbeat

[inthesky]

I did it =P The personal insight is invaluable and not available from any textbook!

*You must have a good grasp on your own mental health (sounds like you do)

*must be able to separate your own mental health issues from those of your patients (run the groups vs. feeling like a member)

*behavioral health can be especially emotionally draining. You must be able to make special efforts to take good care of yourself.

I believe that not choosing the field you truly want can exacerbate depression anyway

good luck!

[luv2yoga]

I second the idea that if you look deeply enough, everyone has some sort of psych issue. Few people can say they haven't had to struggle with something in life and found their psychological coping stressed. The older I get, the more I am willing to embrace my strangeness and realize it's part of what makes me unique and interesting. Go for it! You can always quit if it doesn't work out.

[Mish56, BSN, RN]

Villanova;

so long as you know your own issues and boundries psych nursing can be very rewarding. BUT, I assure you that after 30 years in this field, I can tell you my co-workers are a very stable and sane group. To prove my point, this is an illustration of the last RN meeting:

:hpygrp:

LOL!