Mental Health Nurses have very little protection when fighting against superman
As a mental health nurse we often come up against clients who have superman strength and have a mania that flies from zero to out of control in the matter of seconds. A young male client who is in his late 20's wanted to use his superman strength and threats to
force the staff to get what he wanted that he knew was against the hospital rules. He however, must have a past of throwing a fit to get his needs met.
After several hours of the same conversation he decides to step it up a notch by ripping off his shirt at 2 am – screaming loud enough to wake the others on the unit up – getting full glasses of water in his mouth and spewing it all over the walls and floor. Then he
wants to display his super human strength how he can lift a chair over his head and give it a toss down the hall.
His infectious behavior has now corrupted another young male who is running laps around the unit at bat man speed. Binding together and becoming viral with the strength they present to the staff.
As a nurse of 20 plus years I still find myself standing in the middle of the hallway with my mouth hanging wide open watching the events take place with awe. At that moment I have to wonder what makes me come back over and over knowing in just a few minutes
we will be in the middle of a violent act that in prison, out on the street or the jail system would be taken care of with batons, taser gun, mase, and a highly trained security team. There is no getting around it the staff are being challenged and he was not backing off.
Time for Kryptonite
The material is usually shown as having been created from the remains of Superman's native planet of Krypton, and generally has detrimental effects on Superman and other Kryptonians. The name "kryptonite" covers a variety of forms of the substance, but
usually refers to the most common "green" form. Kryptonite is one of the few things that can kill Superman.
The word kryptonite is also used in modern speech as a synonym for Achilles' heel, the one weakness of an otherwise invulnerable hero.
After a stand off looking in the eye of someone who could care less if he hurt me or any of the other 7 staff members he charges like a bull and makes contact. After six grown
men finially over power him to the ground to gain control. The doctor arrives and orders are recieved to proceed. Medication is given – his kryptonite – the only thing that slowed him down for just a few hours before he was at it again.
What makes nurses go back? Who is taken care of these nurses and staff who go to work knowing it can end in a night like this. The only defense is hand to hand. No shields from the spit, or protection from the bruises they recieve. Mental Health Nurse / staff need that outlet of how to taken care of themselves. They need support and mental protection from the enviroment they work in. Even the old seasoned as well as the brand new nurse needs a mentor.
Are you a nurse? What do you do to disconnect from your place of work?
Angela is a nurse that has worked for 21 years in the same state funded psychiatric hospital assisting some clients that others might refuse to treat. She works on the psychiatric ward.
She also runs her own company on the side and supports other nurses in how to bring passion into their role at work. Out of the box remedies for speaking to people and more.
Angela's blogtalk radio show is laser sharp for today's world! Learn more about Mental Happiness Support Tools here
* Please note: I am not here to CURE, DIANOSE, Treat or suggest replacements for what a doctor prescribes – I am sharing my nursing adventures with you.
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Shirlee Yassney Bless you child…I could not do it, my brother did for almost 30 years, you and he should not have to endure this, but I guess someone does. There are so many sick, and mental illiness is no different than physical, but so many people fear and run from mental instead of trying to treat it. God Bless you.
Misty Thomas And he most certainly was stunned! Bless us…I just went over and re-read the charting. Shockingly, it looked to be in pretty good shape.
I did this same work for 20 years. The only person I got hit by was a 74 year old woman in a wheelchair. It was not much of a hit. It's not hard for me to understand, but some people will not understand where my insight comes from. For the duration of my employment at this same hospital, I suffered from a clinical major depression, requiring 2 hospitalizations for ECT treatments and numerous medication changes.
Yes, i have insight and tremendous empathy and understanding for the mentally ill. You see I also was mentally ill. I was very fortunate that I never lost contact with reality during my depressive episodes while employed those 20 years.
Additionally, I came to know Christ as my Savior in 1988.
I have great respect for the patients I cared for. When they became a danger to themselves or others, I showed them respect by medicating them. People who are out of control do not have the ability to reason unless they suffer from a personality disorder and sometimes PD's are unable to make safe decisions. I would gently take the control from them in a respectful way and give it back to them as quickly as possible.
Was I just lucky? No, I don't think so. When you walk in the same shoes of the people you are caring for, you know how it feels. This is the difference for me and I am grateful to God for my illness. For it has empowered me to care for others as I would want to be cared for. I praise God for it.
P.S. I have been on Nardil since November of 2009. It is a miracle drug for me. I have had no signs of the depression that stole so much of my life and the lives of my loved ones. The difference has been remarkable. It is my belief God healed me through this medication as a testimony to HIM. I love to share my story. Thanks Angela for the opportunity to share.
This is an incredible article Angela. I really don't think most of us have any idea how sick some people are and what a mental health nurse does to help these people. Thank God for people like you.
wow, stories of life are so intense, it shows that we need to appreciate each moment and be thankful for what we have…it could be gone in the blink of an eye. Thank you all for sharing, you've touched this heart
We are a rare breed that will actually stop & pay attention or listen to people's stories. I'm with you Angela…I find it amazing how some can just let go and go under while others tread long enough to reach the shore. Sometimes other's stories leave me in awe of their bravery and sometimes just Thankful that I've learned to dog paddle long enough to stay up !!
tragic as it may sound stories llike these is why i am drawn to mental health and why even through it all i really do love my job. i just feel that there is so much that we can give or patients and so much we learn from them.
I don't know if we will ever completely understand why these things happen to some people and not others.. It has to do with the brain somehow.
I know a couple of people with bi-polar disorder who have had such a battle with it…one was a friend of mine that I had to kind of back away from because her negativity and being all over the place was extremely depressing to be around. And she was on meds too. I felt bad to have to do that.
I live with P.T.S.D. everyday since Jerry died and I almost did, for the last 2 years I have been dealing with a brain Tumor that I have kept really quiet because I didnt want people to worry or treat me diffrently. I found out YESTERDAY th…at the meds they put me on took care of it and I am gonna be ok, also that I have thyroid problems…… sounded real good to me over a death sentence which I thought I was going to get!!! PRAISE GOD!! I am telling this now as a praise report. I just want to thank you Angela for what you do!! You are awesome!!
Brenda Lee Belanger Able Because of a series of traumatic events in my childhood, I developed Obsessive Compulsive Disorder at 11 yrs. old…had no idea what it was. As an adult it became worse, and I began to experience debilitating panic attacks. I ended up in th…e hospital which eventually led to a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder which I live with today. I was fortunate to get a wonderful psychiatric doctor who was understanding and compassionate, and took the time to explain to me about chemical imbalances in the brain, and that I was not "crazy", and that I would probably live with this the rest of my life, yet it was treatable…I feel like he saved me from the brink of death! Thank-you Angela for the wonderful, selfless work you do.!!!!))))~♥~
Wow, Angela. I used to work in accounting for our county's Public Health and Mental Health division but never was involved in the client end of the operation.
I am in awe at what a typical night on the job entails…maybe more! I commend all of the professionals in this line of work, you are all specially gifted people.
You are also an excellent student of your teacher, in more than one respect. Congratulations for taking your profession to the next level in such an awesome way. I can only hope I will follow in your footsteps.
In our hometown are many homeless people who you can tell are mentally ill. It is sad to watch them walk along talking with themselves and apparently another person (they are just absent is all).
So, congratulations for what you do, I couldn't do it. Also, kudos for your accomplishments in business, mentorship and thank you for being my friend.
Carla J Gardiner
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