Have you ever been in a psychiatric hospital? Were the doctors and nurses mean to you in your perspective?
Question:
I am currently in nursing school and when I get out I really want to work with people that have psychiatric conditions to help them. I don't know if this stems from my dads own suicide or because I have suffered with depression and eating disorders in the past. I know I will actually understand how it feels and I really will care about people. When I was getting help about 10 years ago, I actually had a doctor tell me "we put murderers in prison, we put people like you in here" when I was very depressed in the hospital. Has this happened to anyone else?
Answers:
I myself have never been a patient in a psych hospital, but I used to work in an emergency room where there was a section for psych patients..I found that the doctors and nurses always treated the psych patients as "second class" to the other patients...they would laugh at them, act mean to them, and just give them a boat load of meds to knock them out..I HATED it..mental illness runs in my family and I knew how the patients felt...the doctors and nurses for the most part didn't care
It didn't happen to me, but to a friend of mine who I was visiting in the very hospital that I work in. I was appalled at how my "co-workers" acted... I didn't have my id badge on when I visited the first time and they were rude and just downright hateful to me and the patients. The second time I went I was in my scrubs and had my id on. different treatment all together.. I knew I would never want to have to be placed in the Psych unit of my own hospital. It was a very eye-opening experience. all I can say is if you do continue down this path... be prepared to encounter this wherever you ago... a lot of abuse occurs in mental wards... it is a hard thing to see much less work around everyday. Good Luck!
My mom words in a psychiatric hospital. The doctors and nurses working there were very friendly and accommodating..
yes, and i did encounter some really rude and aloof people. I won't say that everyone was mean, but there were definitely a few mean ones. overall, it was a terrible experience.
I have been in the hospital several times. I am Bipolar 1.
I have NEVER experienced a problem with a doctor or nurse. In fact, I found them helpful and accomadating.
THe only times I have seen doctors or nurses get mean were when patients were threating to hurt themselves or other people. In most of these instances, the doctors and nurses got stern and did what they had to do to calm the person down...I would not say that is mean.
I think if you want to work in the hospital, that is wonderful. Just remember to take care of yourself because I think it is very difficult to take care of people all the time.
Good luck.
I've been inpatient 15+times, and have NEVER had a bad experience or negative word with a mental health professional.
I was in one for five days and it wasn't as bad as I expected. It was good for me, and the staff was not mean at all. I met with the doctor less than ten minutes a day. He got most of his information from the nurses and techs who watched us constantly. That was enough, though, for him to totally get inside my head and put into words how I was feeling more clearly than I'd been able to.
The very "worst" experience of my life and I have been through a lot.
I will take my medicine and "shut up" no matter what I go through mentally, physically, or emotionally.
They have no respect or compassion. They only smile when visitors are present. They are impatient and abrupt - constantly yell and bang on doors loudly. You are housed with criminals who are being screened before being released back to jail - you never feel safe. If you are not crazy when you go there, you will be when you leave.
It is a disgrace.
I went there when I became suicidal at age 65 following years of chronic pain. I have to use a walker and was there for three weeks. It was more than difficult.
I finally learned they were keeping me because I have two Insurance Policies and that I could check myself out if I went on a 72 hour Waiting List.
Needless to say, I had my name put on the list and was released. (My Insurances paid every penny - which turned out to be a lot.)
I was diagnosed with Bi-Polar Disorder. I was never a problem to anyone.
First of all, I think you should analyze yourself and think about the underlying issues. Have you FULLY dealt with your fathers suicide? If not dealing with psychiatric patients may be counter-productive to YOUR mental health.
As far as being committed, I was committed and I encountered both caring people and uncaring people. It all depends on the institution you work for. The place I went was specifically designed for people with extreme mental problems (soldiers returning from war) and was subject to people who outranked the highest ranking person there checking on me every day. So they really didn't have a choice of whether to provide quality care or not, their jobs and rank depended on it. Civilian institutions tend to be a lot less capable I've found and some border recklessness.
A friend of mine had a similar experience. That's one of the reasons I like out-patient therapy instead of hospitalization. I'm glad that you are going into the field. We need people who know how to care for people in great need.
I remember being hospitalized at age 19 the very first time, must of been a serious episode of manic attack and being bulimic. While I was drugged and in bed, the janitor was trying to molest me; I yelled and told the doctors, it was awful to be so vulnerable and have people take advantage of you. I just know I needed the extra sleep and meds to find the balance again.. but I couldn't wait to get out and 'act normal' again to get back into society. My real father committed suicide also, I think it leaves us with a huge hole in our hearts.. that's why I love Father God so much and want to be His Girl. Help people no matter how awful they are to you.. your making Jesus happy.
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