Help Are Psych Wards as Bad as People Say

[OutOfThisBody]

Scared of failing and getting caught - do nurses and staff in psych wards suck as much as people say? Are they mean as hell?

 

[Jack_Nimble]

I was a psych nurse for over 20 years. Psych wards are a tough place to be in, even for the staff. I cared a great deal for my patients & my job was to empower them to function at the highest level possible so they can go back home.
Most of the patients were "frequent flyers", that is they are well known to staff. Most are very ill including being psychotic. Some are restrained or secluded. Its an intimidating place for all. I was attacked numerous times.
So someone not familiar to the facility could easily be overwhelmed because of the more acutely I'll patients acting out etc. It is a "crisis unit" after all. There are firm rules & boundaries.
I was frequently the "bad guy" even though I had nothing to do with the patient being admitted to the facility & was in fact trying to help them get it together so they could be discharged.
Add to that, that many nurses were burned out & should retire. That job has an expiration date on it. Finally my Dr told me to retire, as it was ruining my physical & mental health so I retired at 50 years old.
So in short, its a difficult place for everyone. Its not the staffs fault a person is there, its a persons behavior that gets them admitted. Its easier to villainize hospital staff rather than take responsibility for behavior.

Thank you for sharing.