Seeing Mental Health from Both Sides

Mental Health | WIRL Project

Working in an acute psychiatric hospital for 14 years as a Registered Nurse, I could not believe what the human mind and body can endure. I heard horrible stories about parents selling their children for drugs and alcohol. Abuses of the mind and body from allegedly love ones. I remember a man that was in his 30’s who was fully functioning and then he snapped and became a “monkey”. He would not wear clothing and he defecated on the floor. He walked so his hands drug on the floor. He would not talk but screech. We had to approach him very carefully. His medication were placed in foods. The man ended up in a long term facility so he could be evaluated. I also saw a case of an eight year old child trying to kill her mother and step-father because the child was to be given to her biological father whom she never met after he got out of prison!

I remember a man that was in his 30’s who was fully functioning and then he snapped and became a “monkey”. He would not wear clothing and he defecated on the floor. … We had to approach him very carefully.

I always found psych so interesting because you can see an injury and treat it, but the mind is a challenge. Psychiatric has a stigma. People do not like to admit they need help psychologically. I was one of these people. I worked IN psych, I didn’t NEED it. I was the therapist, there was nothing wrong with me! But, I fell into a depression after loosing two people that were close to me. I really didn’t know what was wrong. I had so many somatic complaints that I did not realize that I was depressed. I came to an understanding, I learned that in being a nurse, or anyone, we stuff our feelings in a “box”. That box eventually gets full and all those feeling and thoughts you thought were dealt with come out with a vengeance. They become overwhelming. It is hard to share how you feel with people who are close to you. That is when a therapist, psychologist or psychiatrist comes in. They listen and you just talk about what is bothering you. It is scary because you learn alot about yourself. You learn to resolve your issues in the past and how to cope and handle you present problems. Don’t be afraid of taking medications to help you cope. It took me three different medications to find one that helped me. I am now doing great.

I came to an understanding, I learned that in being a nurse, or anyone, we stuff our feelings in a “box”. That box eventually gets full and all those feeling and thoughts you thought were dealt with come out with a vengeance. They become overwhelming. It is hard to share how you feel with people who are close to you.

 

From all of my experiences, I have learned (and am still learning) that you can’t change anyone but yourself. Don’t sweat the small stuff is so true. Life has away of working things out if you only give it a chance.

 

 

 

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