Life Inside a Psychiatric
HospitalHaving been a mental health canada goose coats on sale nurse who has worked in an in patient psychiatric facility for 6 years and taught mental health nursing for 4 years, I have seen a lot of misconceptions about mental health and illness and the treatments of patients. In an effort to better inform the public, I wrote this article about myths and facts of psychiatric hospitals. Whether you are canada goose outlet someone who suffers from mental illness, someone who loves someone with a mental illness, a healthcare professional looking to begin working in a mental healthcare facility, or just generally curious about what it is like on the other side of the locked door, this article describes what it is really like inside a psychiatric hospital.
canada goose clearance sale The Cuckoo’s Nest: Fact Vs. FictionYou may have seen many movies that portray life inside a psychiatric facility. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, A Beautiful Mind, Girl, Interrupted, or Shutter Island are just a few of the many movies that are based in or around psychiatric facilities. Unfortunately, much canada goose deals of what you see in film is exaggerated for dramatic impact or is simply inaccurate. However, some of what you see is real. It is important to know the difference canadian goose jacket between fact and fiction, so that you or your loved one is prepared for what to expect. canada goose clearance sale
uk canada goose outlet For example, if you watch Jack Nicholson receiving electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, what you are seeing is a very dramatic and completely inaccurate portrayal of the actual treatment given today. Current ECT procedure anesthetizes the patient and relaxes the patient’s muscles. The patient does not have an actual motor seizure, meaning there is no jerking around on the table, no biting tongues off, no screaming, and no horrific memories of the event. In fact, an ECT procedure nowadays is rather boring to watch, much more like a routine dental surgery than anything you have seen in a movie. uk canada goose outlet
Canada Goose Outlet Common MisconceptionsAs a psychiatric nursing instructor, I take nursing students into a locked door psychiatric facility. The majority of my students have never been in a psychiatric hospital and many of them are utterly shocked at what they see there. Canada Goose Outlet
cheap Canada Goose Some common misconceptions I buy canada goose jacket have heard include: cheap Canada Goose
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Hospital staff, including psychiatrists, nurses, and assistants, are cruel to the patients.
uk canada goose Patients are routinely tortured. uk canada goose
Almost all patients will be strapped to a bed in restraints.
Patients often are rapists, murderers, and the like.
canada goose coats on sale Patients are forced to take medications and receive “shock treatments” against their will. canada goose coats on sale
Lots of patients commit suicide in the hospital.
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Patients are isolated from everyone else.
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Of course, there are many other misconceptions or questions I have encountered, but these are the most common.
cheap canada goose uk The RealityThe reality is it is a very frightening place, but not for the reasons you might think. Canada Goose Outlet This is what usually upsets my students: cheap canada goose uk
Mental illness can happen to anyone any time. No one is immune.
Friends and family Canada Goose online give up on their loved ones when they suffer from chronic mental illnesses. Many patients have nowhere to go when they are discharged.
canada goose store Freedoms are limited in a psychiatric hospital; you Canada Goose sale do not get shoelaces, extension cords, razor blades, fingernail clippers, make up mirrors, and so much more. You shower during shower time, you eat https://www.canadagoosejacketonlines.ca during mealtime, you go to group during group time, etc. canada goose store
Not all Canada Goose Jackets of the staff is friendly and/or helpful. Of course, it would canada goose clearance be a far better place if this were the case, but when you are dealing with people, you are going to encounter some bad attitudes or great people having bad days. That is reality. Odds are that if you are respectful to the staff, they will be respectful to you. However, staff are overwhelmingly helpful to children and patients who are out of touch with reality.
There is a huge stigma related to mental illness. It is not as bad as it used to be, but it is still there. Patients are afraid to tell their parents, their children, their bosses, and their friends. We wonder canada goose coats why people “suddenly” go crazy. They didn’t; they just didn’t tell us something was wrong.
Some patients are violent. It does not happen on a regular basis, but sometimes patients canada goose clearance sale do become violent. When that happens, staff are trained to go quickly to the area and help the patient regain control without harming him/herself or others. This will involve verbal de escalation, and sometimes physical canada goose store holding the canada goose patient, or placing the patient in restraints. Patients also may receive oral or injected medication, like Ativan, Benadryl, Haldol, Thorazine, Geodon, etc.
Canada Goose Coats On Sale Some patients really are psychotic. Talking to people who are not there, laughing hysterically at nothing we can see, dry humping furniture, cowering behind objects out of fear, looking over their shoulder for the CIA, shouting biblical prophesies, and the list never ends. This part, as much as we may wish it did not exist, does exist. Canada Goose Coats On Sale
You may wonder why anyone would ever choose this field of work. Again, there are a lot of reasons, but the most outstanding reason among my colleagues is simply the desire to help those who have been left behind by society. We do not want the glory or the god like worship of working in surgery or some of the other more fashionable areas of nursing. What we want is pure, elementary, and simple; we want to help when no one else does.
buy canada goose jacket cheap Moving Beyond the FearOne of my life’s Canada Goose Parka passions is destroying the stigma of mental illness. It is a long, hard road. My more medical minded colleagues look at me incredulously when I say, “We cannot judge the addicted person. We do not understand all there is to know about addiction. Years from now, we may find that some people’s brains are hard wired toward risk taking behavior.” Some people do not want to hear this. Some people have a hard time letting go of unfounded beliefs. I will continue to fight this fight until I can no longer pass words between my lips, and then, I will hold a sign buy canada goose jacket cheap.