I work on a psych ward...ask me anything

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have you had patients who were there because their environment influenced their way of thinking in a way that seemed like they had a medical mental issue but it was more of an attitude problem? Or are the two intertwined?

+1

Excellent question.

Is attitude problem part of an obsessiveness, or personality disorder, or both?

[Anonymous]

As a healthcare professional, this is a good thread OP. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you worked with kids, were their parents odd/mentally ill in some way, had poor parenting skills? Or do you think it was something biochemical in the kids' brains?

All of the above. Some kids came from absolutely fantastic families. Others came from families that looked great on the surface but once you went deeper there were issues that often hadn't been dealt with. Others came from families who meant really well and tried really hard but weren't so great at parenting. Some parents had mental illnesses of their own or were dealing with trauma (trauma is a huge piece of mental illness). Some families with no parenting skills at all. Others who have rejected, abandoned or abused their children.

For some kids it is definitely primarily biochemical, for others it is primarily social but overtime that excess stress/trauma at an ealry age changes their brain too.

Younger kids tend to have a lot of family issues intertwined with their mental health and we treat them as a family. teens it is about 50/50. Suicide attempts in teens is a bout 50% of the adolescent admissions. A mix of super high achievers who had too much external/internal pressure, kids who are in an existential crisis - no meaning or purpose, kids who can't handle the stress/trauma/hand they have been dealt, kids with persistent depression or other mental illness, kids whose first loves dumped them and they spiraled downward.

We also see a lot of teens from families who have focused too much on making their kids happy/self-esteem, and in doing so kept their kids from feeling and learning to cope healthily with sadness, disappointment, hurt feelings, being in trouble and taking responsibility etc.. When those kids grow into the teenage years, they really struggle to cope with life and teen pressures.

Could you elaborate on this? Give an example. I'm a parent of teenagers and worried I've done this. But I'm not sure if I have or if I just think I have. My kids have jobs (paid) and chores around the house, and they surely have ups and downs, and we always talk about them. But I"m not sure they can face reality. They've not been in love yet, so I have no idea how they will face getting dumped (not fun at any age, surely!). These must be extreme cases you are talking about, no? Not just upper middle class kids with iPhones, nice houses, nice vacations and nice stuff? That describes most teenagers I know. They can't all be at risk.

[Anonymous]

OP, are you still around? This is a very old thread, but still relevant! Lots of questions about mental health!

[Anonymous]

I will be starting a teaching job on a pediatric crisis stabilization unit. I was just wondering what in-hospital schooling is like for these kids, especially in terms of teacher and peer safety?

[Anonymous]

Do you know how much art therapists make in a psych ward annually?

[Anonymous]

you know, i was in partial hospitalization and it wasnt bad until day 19 out if 20 that i stayed they called hospital and i always curse their names. The Boston center was where this happend things are better for me now.

[Anonymous]

First, thanks for your hard work and dedication to this group of patients!

I have a question - how often do you see Lyme patients come through these wards?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First, thanks for your hard work and dedication to this group of patients!

I have a question - how often do you see Lyme patients come through these wards?

This is a four year-old thread. I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for OP's response....

[Anonymous]

My sister is in the System (client-consumer)... Her cohorts say Mt Vernon, 3a is the worst psych ward in the entire metro area. Do you concur?