What comes to mind when you hear “mental illness?” Many if not most nurses feel dread. They imagine danger, pain, frustration, hostility, violence, wasted time and energy. For 20 years, I’ve heard such concerns when I’ve mentioned my work as a Psychiatric Nurse. Nurses (and others) talk about people with mental illnesses almost as if they’re intractable problems to avoid, or even some hostile alien race. Nurses are great people: tough, courageous, and smart. They confidently wade into bloody, chaotic disasters and literal shit shows (if you have to ask…) that would badly overwhelm most people. Yet nurses often despair when it comes to “psych,” thinking it impossible to get along with “such people,” to work efficiently with them, to have fun at it, to enjoy their company. They often cite “psych” as the “one thing I can’t do.” I disagree. I do it all the time because I’ve learned how. I have lots of fun! And based on decades of experience, research, and teaching, I’m confident that all nurses can “do psych.” It involves skills applicable to ANY interactions. The best “psych” skills focus on people, not illnesses. Such skills help nurses do better work in any [...]![]()
