What's the point?

By Emily - 07/06/2020 20:08

Today, whilst doing training as a mental health nurse, our glorified pineapple of a lecturer told us that trying to stop patients wanting to commit suicide isn't a possibility. So, what the hell are we training for? FML
I agree, your life sucks 1 443
You deserved it 195
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Top comments

oGxFoopFoop 15

There isn’t a cure for mental illness but it’s highly treatable. I know a LOT of people who once suffered with extreme depression and have recovered and it is now years later and they haven’t slipped back into it. So you’re wrong. It is a possibility.

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Kraths 16

From personal experience, it's not impossible per say, but it is super difficult to stop someone entirely. I have had points in my life where I was trying nearly on a weekly basis. Mental Health nurses can do a range of things. Sometimes people don't actually want to die, but want to change their situation or be heard. Mental Health nurses are sometimes the only ones in their entire lives who will actually sit and listen to them.

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Comments

Nico Noppe 9

Well, no... it's not a possibility. You think people will never get depressed again? You act like if you stopped them once, you never have to worry about them again. That's not true. You need to keep a close eye on them, so they don't slip back into that dark place. There isn't a cure for mental issues.

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oGxFoopFoop 15

There isn’t a cure for mental illness but it’s highly treatable. I know a LOT of people who once suffered with extreme depression and have recovered and it is now years later and they haven’t slipped back into it. So you’re wrong. It is a possibility.

11 0
Nico Noppe 9

I didn't say it wasn't treatable, but it is something that never goes away. I'm sure those people you know will all tell you it took a very long time to get to the place they are today AND that they are avoiding the triggers that brought that depression in the first place. Also, the OP never said anything about any time span, but I do know that "patients" imply a short to semi-long duration, in which initial suicide thoughts do not magically disappear.

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RichardPencil 30

Well, there really are too many people in the world. If some want to leave early, who are we to stop them?

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my_way_1213 12

Because she's right. If someone really wants to kill themselves they will find a way. You are there for the people who don't see a way out, and see death as their only option. Your job is to show them they do have options

2 1
kfchicken 31

you just contradicted yourself. how can you show them there's another way of can't stop them...

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ojoRojo 27

It’s definitely possible for some, but not others. I think the point was that it doesn’t fall on YOU if you’re not able to change their minds. Some people are truly open to help and support, and others are behind that point, sadly. That doesn’t mean you failed them. (Side note: I really wanna know what it means to be a “glorified pineapple”)

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Kraths 16

From personal experience, it's not impossible per say, but it is super difficult to stop someone entirely. I have had points in my life where I was trying nearly on a weekly basis. Mental Health nurses can do a range of things. Sometimes people don't actually want to die, but want to change their situation or be heard. Mental Health nurses are sometimes the only ones in their entire lives who will actually sit and listen to them.

2 0
ClumbsyHotty 10

You can’t “stop” them as per say, every patient has the right to refuse. However you do everything else within your duty of care to prevent suicide.

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sxdryv 14

i took that as trying isnt an option whereas doing (succeeding) is!

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Ariane Bolt 6

There will always be some who slip through every crack. But most won't be that determined. Stop every single death you can.

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foxyladyalias 2

His opinion isn't a fact. Don't let some old guy who's been lecturing for years without being in the field tell you how things work. The world ain't black and white. You started this journey for a reason and don't let this stupid typical men stand in your way. We're a new generation and you are so right to question every word about the subject coming out of his mouth.

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IHaveThePower 16

I've been in the psych ward. The nurses being willing to hang out and talk with me were what kept me from freaking out quite a few times (another patient had the delusion she'd been kidnapped and told us all this at the top of her lungs). There's a LOT you can do as a psych nurse, and most of it is just being willing to listen and hang out for a while.

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