I'm a jaded mental health nurse working with very high risk individuals - as me anything

[Meadow90]

Ask me anything...

Do you have to do lots of restraints? Friends and family who are mental health nurses talk lots about this and it sounds really tough.

Sorry posted too soon. How do you feel about having to restrain people?

@bananahood Yes we do. If a patient is in crisis they might need us to physically intervene multiple times just in one day. It can be for a number of different reasons i.e aggression, high risk behaviours, self-harm and so on. We do everything we can to de escalate situations without the use of physical intervention though unfortunately often it's inevitable.

@bananahood how I feel depends on the situation. I'm always completed focused and I always feel an overwhelming sense of responsibility for both the person in restraint as well as the staff involved - if I'm there it'll be me leading the restraint. Sometimes I feel sad for the individual. Sometimes I feel resentful of them.

@VaggieMight yes, often. I worry primarily about safety - that of the individuals in my care, the staff and my own. I also worry about missing something or making a mistake

What are your experiences of ECT?

Have you seen many patients who have had it? Has it helped many/all patients that you've seen go through it?

Did you choose your specialty? If so, why? Otherwise, how did you end up going down that path?

@OhMyGodTheyKilledKenny I've accompanied one person for ECT treatment - she very sadly ended her life some days later. Most people I've nursed having undergone treatment, regardless of efficacy (which is usually short term anyway) complain of significant memory impairment

@TropicPlunder yes, I applied to do mental health nursing. My first year was a foundation in nursing which was shared with general and learning disability nurses. My second and third year were spent specialising. I think I chose it because I felt optimistic about helping vulnerable people. I wanted to be able to advocate for them. The reality of nursing however is quite different from what I'd expected

@VaggieMight 6 years

How do you decompress after work?? Sadly my brother found solace in alcohol and suffers from mental health issues after working many years in a Psychiatric ward

How often are people restrained via sedatives? What help is there for those with long term mental health issues for whom cbt and 6 monthly cmht appointments are sufficient?

*arent sufficient

Do patients ever overcome their mental health issues?

What advice would you give to students thinking of pursuing a career in nursing or mental health services?

How are you feeling today?

@madmumofteens sorry to hear about your brother. To be honest I probably drink too much wine. I'm trying to get back into reading. It's difficult to find time to do anything productive to decompress though because our day finishes so late (20:45pm). I do however make the most of my days off

All bar one of the MH nurses I know have now left the MH side of nursing. It's a tough job that I believe can only be done for so long before burnout occurs (way faster than my branch of adult nursing).

Will you stay in MH do you think?

Not sure how to ask this but for patients with long term very poor mental health who are suicidal, do you think it is always right to prevent them from carrying out their wishes?

I'm in awe at the job you do OP as I saw firsthand how it impacted on my brothers life, I guess I hoped that there is now a better support network for nurses (he retired on health grounds many years ago).

I don't want to ask you anything - I just want to say thank you for everything that you do for your service users and wider society - you are appreciated and valued ❤️

@Flowerpower321

How often are people restrained via sedatives?

if people are in a physical restraint it usually (though not always) leads to pharmacological sedation. We'll usually try to withdraw and avoid this but often people are so resistive and aggressive by this point that we have no option other than to inject them to maintain everyone's safety. We generally use lorazepam, haloperidol or Promethazine

What help is there for those with long term mental health issues for whom cbt and 6 monthly cmht appointments aren't sufficient?

Sorry this part to your question is much too broad and without context for me to answer

As someone with a DH with schizoaffective, thank you for what you do. He has been sectioned a few times with med refusal or needing medication changes but has now been on a depot for a year and is doing very well.