Mental health nursing.....

Today was my first clinical for mental health nursing. I am working in the Big County Hospital's mental health facility. Since we have a clinical group of 10, and they don't want that many students on one floor, our instructor split us into 2 groups. One group of 5 went to the Adult Intensive area (the very mentally ill), and my group went to Health and Recovery (substance abuse/detox).

We saw some very interesting cases....One woman was so strung out on crack that she couldn't keep still for a second while being interviewed. Another woman, also in for crack, was once a scholar athlete that had a huge opportunity to get out of a terrible family and lifestyle, but made wrong choices and wound up following the same path that has destroyed her family. Some were in for pills. Most were in for alcohol.

My friend Kim thinks that being an addict makes one a bad person. I tried to explain too her that the people aren't bad, the choices they make are. I was raised in a very addictive household as a child. My mother drank like a fish, and did all sorts of drugs. My childhood was a mess, to say the least. However, my mother was not a bad person. She made a series of bad choices, that nearly destroyed her. Thank God, over time, she hit bottom before it was too late, and has since turned her life around. As a result of my childhood, I made choices, too. I chose to never tempt fate by drinking or drugging. I looked at my mother at the time, and how it affected my life, and decided a long time ago that was not what I wanted my life to be. It's all about choices.....

It was a very interesting day. I was afraid of mental health nursing. However, I think I am going to like it.

W. :)