It helps to exchange ideas with people who have similar backgrounds and provide needed support. Brenda has been a lifesaver to me. She is a psychiatric nurse who works in the hospital and has shed new light on situations and suggested fresh strategies that have helped me. Be happy with small successes. The mental health field can be frustrating.
Many patients return shortly after being discharged.
One of the biggest reasons patients fail is because they do not comply with medication for various reasons. As a psychiatric nurse, success may come in very minute ways. One of my happiest moments involved teaching a mentally ill patient how to do his own fingerstick. The patient was ecstatic when he successfully mastered this task. Engaging in recreational activities with patients allows for different kinds of interactions and responses.