Seeking mental health services while working in the field?

pandora44 · May 8, 2011

Hmm... This is a tricky situation. Good for you for recognizing your issues and seeking help. I know a number of staff nurses on my psych unit who sought mental health services and I think that is all for the good.

But I would be very, very cautious about joining a DBT group. Just too many blurred boundaries and you are bound to run into former patients. And I wonder at the impact on a DBT group if one of the members is a pscyh nurse. Is your therapist willing to do DBT with you individually or can he/she recommend a therapist that would do so?

Good luck.

Davey Do · May 8, 2011

Heck, I don't even know what DBT is. I asssume it's some sort of Group Therapy.

If you have a problem with controlled substances and dealing with your emotions, then a 12 Step Program may be a type of therapeutic endeavor you might want to consider. And best of all, the meetings are anonymous! What is said there, who is seen there, stays there.

Like pandora44 said- good for you in recognizing and doing something about your situation!

The very best to you, mystory.

Dave

iwanna · May 12, 2011

Have you ever considered doing DBT therapy online? My daughter has suspected borderline personality disorder and that is recommended course of treatment. Currently, she is refusing the option. I can only lead her to the water, but I can't make her drink it. I am at a place of radical acceptance with it. However, I was doing research for online therapy. Tammi Green has a site for DBT. The name of the site is: http://www.borderlinesupportgroup.com/dbt-skills-html.

DBT is based on the idea that opposites can coexist and be synthesized. This means weighing out various points of view in any situation and constantly working on balancing an effort to change with accepting situations as they are.

I can understand how you feel. I attended some communication skills groups, and I was worried that I may run into a former resident.(worked at pschy. hospital) I believe that online classes would be the next best thing.

Best of luck to you.

Whispera, MSN, RN · May 12, 2011

Running into a former patient wouldn't bother me as much as having my colleagues know about my treatment. I figure former patients would know what I was going through and have empathy for me and even think I have improved empathy for them due to my own issues.

If my colleagues knew, however, I'm not sure I could predict their reactions. Would they think I might not be fit to work? Would they think my problem was bigger than it is? Would they be spot-on and judge me as I should be judged but more intensely than I'd prefer? Sure, we're supposed to keep an open, caring mind, but do we always? Sure, we're supposed to maintain confidentiality, but do we always? There's a definite grapevine about such things. I think treatment in which you could feel confident that your peers wouldn't know about it would be the best.

I've taken care of colleagues who have sought psych care. I think I give them extra compassion, because they're part of my life. That doesn't mean I'm always thinking totally compassionate THOUGHTS though. Sometimes I have a bit of wondering wandering in my head...

Use care, but please get the treatment you need!

sphiggy · May 27, 2011

I had an outburst at work that seems to have changed my whole unit's opinion of me. Some sort of corrective action is being discussed. I've been under tremendous stress at work, as our staffing just gets worse and worse. I've never acted that way at work before, and I scared myself...and others I assume. Been calling in sick as I'm embarrassed to show my face. Thinking about quitting and working somewhere else. I'm in graduate school and I think I've destroyed my career. This should probably be a new thread, but it seemed to fit here. I see a shrink only for antidepressant management. Mind's racing. Any advice?

Davey Do · May 27, 2011

I really appreciate your candidness in this matter, shiggy. And, I can identify with you, having had a history of being an emphatically outspoken Individual. Soooo- I have been involved in similar situations.

Stress is a big factor and can sometimes bring out the worse in us. Being a little older, and perhaps a little wiser, with a more stable life-style, my emphatically outspoken incidents rarely raise their ugly heads.

I also want to reinforce the fact that you've already taken three out of the four steps of the problem-solving process: You've identified a problem and are gathering data. You're currently brainstorming ideas (e.g. quitting your job) before you make a final decision.

I can tell you how I handled one of these similar situations: I was dealing with a stressful job situation, a divorce, big bills incurred by my soon-to-be ex, and all the other million "tiny murders" that life can throw at a Person, when my Supervisor telephoned me at home. She called to critisize my method of relaying information to a consulting MD. I enquired as to the correct method, she informed me, and I agreed to follow her advisement.

THEN she repeated the method I had utilized in a condescending tone. I blew my top! I retorted, in a loud voice, that I had heard her, agreed to follow her advisement, and went on to say something like, "AT LEAST I DO SOMETHING ABOUT THESE THINGS! THERE ARE THOSE WHO THINK SITTING IN THE NURSING STATION IS ALL THEY HAVE TO DO! WHEN I'VE BROUGHT GROSS NEGLIGENCE OF DUTY TO YOUR ATTENTION YOU DO NOTHING ABOUT IT! BUT YOU CALL ME AT HOME TO CRITISIZE MY COMMUNICATION METHOD!

About that time my call waiting signaled me and I said , "I have to go. I've got some business I have to deal with!" and hung up.

After a cooling off period, I examined my actions: Yelling at One's Supervisor is not a good job security move. So I mapped out my plan of action. First, I contacted the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and made an appointment to see the Therapist. Then, I contacted my Supervisor's Director and submitted a formal complaint. Finally, I typed up a report of the occurrence.

It all came out in the wash, so to speak. Seeking services from the EAP showed that I was willing to work on my problemed situation. And, it was a truly therapeutic move, in that therapy helped me deal with my stressful situation. Informing the Director brought out an area of concern that was made better by my action.

So, in summary sphiggy, I would encourage you to seek out therapeutic services for your situation, address the precipatating factors which led to the incident, and document your side of the story.

I hope it all comes out in the wash for you, sphiggy. The very best to you.

Dave

mystory, BSN, RN · Jun 5, 2011

Thanks so much for the support and guidance everyone, what a compassionate bunch.

I took the advice to heart..my therapist has started individual DBT skills with me and I've checked out some online resources.

And thanks to the posters who shared their stories..sphiggy I can relate to your struggles. I had a very unprofessional and embarrassing outburst at work that preempted my original post. I too contemplated quitting, but my therapist helped me realize that there is no geographic or environmental cure for my issues. I can tell you what worked for me and hope that it will be helpful for you. I apologized to everyone, owned that I handled my frustration inappropriately, and admitted that I am researching and practicing frustration tolerance techniques. It was well received. I think that when we apologize, hold ourselves accountable, and allow ourselves to be vulnerable - others humanize us again and see that we are not defined by a single incident. Best of luck. :heartbeat

twinkerrs · Jun 6, 2011

DBT is awesome! It is a really huge commitment so stick with it. I work on an inpatient unit with mostly borderlines and our program is based on dbt. I think it is definitely something everyone can use.