Working with a schizophrenic nurse

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Specializes in Critical care, ER, Med surg, Cardiovasc.

I am a critical care nurse working in a large city. There is a nurse on our floor, on my shift, that is perhaps one of the best nurses I have ever seen. She knows her critical care nursing! She is a resource for many nurses. She is single although she was married in her 20s (she is currently mid 40s) but the marriage failed when her spouse announced he was gay. She is a great person and I know a great single man that would probably be a good match for her or so I thought. When I showed her his picture, she began to tell me that God has a master plan for her and he told her a long time ago that he would give her the perfect man. That was not too much of an alarming statement but the rambling continued. She began to tell me how God has chosen her to make sure that all things around her are done right and that it is her responsibility alone to stand up and defend right. She told me how he punished those that were unkind to her and reminded me of all the nurses that had left our unit in the last few months. These, she said, were the ones that had made her life hell while she had been working here. She said all the doctors know how she is and that the reason no one will date her is because "they know". God has her a "surprise" but he will make her think he has gotten her the one and then tell her "ha, ha just kidding". She says she hates God but knows she has to do what he says. She says she "knows things" and is able to forsee what is going to happen. She was a triplet born to a mother that had a mental disorder and spent her life in foster care supposedly with a good family. Her talk of them is about how her mother always pleased and placated the father.

I would have never have know she was delusional had I not just made a simple attempt to set her up with a nice man. I see in her work she is totally ethical. In fact, she always makes sure her patients have the best of care and if she sees another nurse not doing their job, she will be right on top of it. She feels it is her duty and responsibility as God as directed.

What can I do for her? My heart just broke as I heard her words! She is an excellent nurse, but I am worried for her and anyone she may think needs correction. I did not argue with her beliefs because I know that is futile. I did ask her was she sure it was God and not "the other side". She is sure it is God whom she is serving. Help me help her......PLEASE!:down:

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Gosh how sad. This is hard. Is there a way you could tell someone about your concerns that could help?

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Specializes in Critical care, ER, Med surg, Cardiovasc.

LindseyRN86, I spoke with another nurse that this nurse also shared her "calling" with after she also tried to set her up with a date. This nurse also mentioned it to our department director. I have not and will not tell anyone else. The only reason I spoke with the charge nurse is because she had told her about her life. I was just wanting to see if this nurse felt as I did. I can not with a good conscience divulge the story I was told unless I believe someone is truly in danger. I just want her to get help but she does not even believe she has a problem. I am very leery about asking her if she thinks she has a problem because of the working relationship we must maintain. The classic "stuck between a rock and a hard place."

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Specializes in Leadership, Psych, HomeCare, Amb. Care.

Since this isn't something you want to share with your manager, I'd suggest using the free and confidential EAP that is probably in place. Give them a call, express your concerns, talk it out. There may be little you can do to "help her" if she feels all is well, and her patients are well cared for.

PS. While schizophrenics are often delusional, not all delusional people are schizophrenic.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.
PS. While schizophrenics are often delusional, not all delusional people are schizophrenic.

That is my thought too. OP's coworker may be a little too immersed in her spirituality, but that alone isn't enough to diagnose her as having schizophrenia.

And I agree with Chicago's advice. I would take this anonymously to the EAP and let them deal with it if they feel is necessary.

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Specializes in Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Nursing.

This apparent religious zealot might have developed this delusion as a way to cope with her divorce and having her former spouse come out as being gay, both rank high as being extremely high life stressors.

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Um what? Since when is giving faith in a Deity= schizophrenic?

Although we obviously dont deal with her as you do and only using you as a source; i dont feel what you described is relative to mental illness.

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Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

When someone has what appears to be a religious preoccupation or delusion, if I'm leaning toward labelling him or her with an illness, I try to remember that maybe what the person believes/sees/feels is reality and that I'm the one who can't see what's actually there....

It does sound like she is experiencing a great deal of unhappiness, however.

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Specializes in hospice.
Um what? Since when is giving faith in a Deity= schizophrenic?

Although we obviously dont deal with her as you do and only using you as a source; i dont feel what you described is relative to mental illness.

While I agree with you that this thread has a feel of anti-religious bias, the statements attributed to this nurse about hating God but still having to do what He says are worrisome, as are the ones about everything being her responsibility. She sounds like the kind of person who might eventually snap and end up on the news.

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Specializes in Mental Health.
I am a critical care nurse working in a large city. There is a nurse on our floor, on my shift, that is perhaps one of the best nurses I have ever seen. She knows her critical care nursing! She is a resource for many nurses. She is single although she was married in her 20s (she is currently mid 40s) but the marriage failed when her spouse announced he was gay. She is a great person and I know a great single man that would probably be a good match for her or so I thought. When I showed her his picture, she began to tell me that God has a master plan for her and he told her a long time ago that he would give her the perfect man. That was not too much of an alarming statement but the rambling continued. She began to tell me how God has chosen her to make sure that all things around her are done right and that it is her responsibility alone to stand up and defend right. She told me how he punished those that were unkind to her and reminded me of all the nurses that had left our unit in the last few months. These, she said, were the ones that had made her life hell while she had been working here. She said all the doctors know how she is and that the reason no one will date her is because "they know". God has her a "surprise" but he will make her think he has gotten her the one and then tell her "ha, ha just kidding". She says she hates God but knows she has to do what he says. She says she "knows things" and is able to forsee what is going to happen. She was a triplet born to a mother that had a mental disorder and spent her life in foster care supposedly with a good family. Her talk of them is about how her mother always pleased and placated the father.

I would have never have know she was delusional had I not just made a simple attempt to set her up with a nice man. I see in her work she is totally ethical. In fact, she always makes sure her patients have the best of care and if she sees another nurse not doing their job, she will be right on top of it. She feels it is her duty and responsibility as God as directed.

What can I do for her? My heart just broke as I heard her words! She is an excellent nurse, but I am worried for her and anyone she may think needs correction. I did not argue with her beliefs because I know that is futile. I did ask her was she sure it was God and not "the other side". She is sure it is God whom she is serving. Help me help her......PLEASE!:down:

Stop gossiping might help and be supportive!

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Um what? Since when is giving faith in a Deity= schizophrenic?

Although we obviously dont deal with her as you do and only using you as a source; i dont feel what you described is relative to mental illness.

Most of my family is extremely religious. They often use the phrase "I believe God wants me to do [insert thing they should do]" or "I believe God let that happen for a reason." The key difference is that my relatives are saying they simply believe God wants them to do something, while the person OP is referring to actually thinks she heard God telling her to do things and believes God is punishing people she doesn't like. That is alarming.

I did not get an anti-religious vibe here.

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Specializes in Mental Health.
Most of my family is extremely religious. They often use the phrase "I believe God wants me to do [insert thing they should do]" or "I believe God let that happen for a reason." The key difference is that my relatives are saying they simply believe God wants them to do something, while the person OP is referring to actually thinks she heard God telling her to do things and believes God is punishing people she doesn't like. That is alarming.

I did not get an anti-religious vibe here.

Unfortunately, the OP is making a claim that her colleague is schizophrenic (see the title of the post), which may or not be true without further assessment. Also, as a nurse the OP should be using a nursing diagnosis rather than a DSM diagnosis, as DSM diagnosis are known to be unreliable and invalid!

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