so i visited a mental health hospital here in sac yesterday, cus my brother in law, who happens to be a pretty "normal" guy, flipped his lid a bit and had to be admitted for 32 hrs....anyhow, when i was there, i seen several people in the lobby waiting to admit themselves and basically having some types of break downs n shit, like crying, shakin, talkin to themselves and shit like that....also, this one kid, no older then 20 and obviously a mental case, came in to ask for some shoes cus the ones he had on were without laces and worn the fuck out with holes in the soles n shit...i was overwhelmed with emotions and started to get very teary eyed n shit, and it was then that i realized, this is the line of work i need to go into, i need to work with these people, possible in a place like this.....today i took all the cloths and shoes i dont wear and donated them to this hospital on stockton blvd.........i also realize that the business degree that im working on is not enough and i will need to get one in mental health or psycology (sp?) but i can do that too.....today i will start looking for a way to get an associates degree in a mental health related couse........does anyone here work in any place that deals with mentally ill people, or have any stories to share?
I believe I have found my calling...
- Thread starter BOMBSAC
- Start date
my cousin used to work in a psychiatric ward as an RN....she had little direct contact w/ patients and mostly reviewed their files...she said the techs did most of the work...maybe u could look into that....
personally, i enjoy this line of work as well...currently i am in my second semester of nursing school at sac state...i feel that this profession is truly rewarding on all levels, knowing that i have the capacity to help promote one's well-being...
personally, i enjoy this line of work as well...currently i am in my second semester of nursing school at sac state...i feel that this profession is truly rewarding on all levels, knowing that i have the capacity to help promote one's well-being...
I've worked in a psychiatric hospital in all different places the past four years. I've done a whole lot of different research too, mostly on drug addiction. I also did research on bereavement after the death of a loved one and therapy sessions and stuff. I have my BS in psychology. I'm gonna warn you though, if you go into a psychology major, make sure you go to a school that emphasizes treatment, and not research.
My field of research was more on the scientific side, stressing neurology, brain use, physiological responses, etc. That part of psychology won't really get you anywhere near patients. There are many different fields of psychology which a lot of people dont understand. If you want to get into it and have patient contact with those types of people, I'd recommend looking up Mental Health Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Abnormal Psycholgy, Adolescent Psychology, Developmental Psychology, or Teaching.
My mom has a BS in sociology and she works with disabled people for the government.
If you need any advice to steer you in the right direction, send me a PM.
My field of research was more on the scientific side, stressing neurology, brain use, physiological responses, etc. That part of psychology won't really get you anywhere near patients. There are many different fields of psychology which a lot of people dont understand. If you want to get into it and have patient contact with those types of people, I'd recommend looking up Mental Health Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Abnormal Psycholgy, Adolescent Psychology, Developmental Psychology, or Teaching.
My mom has a BS in sociology and she works with disabled people for the government.
If you need any advice to steer you in the right direction, send me a PM.
I don't work directly w/ the mentally ill, but I work for an agency that does. They find mentally ill and developmentally disabled individuals employment and housing. I'm just the Administrative Assistant here, but I meet and greet everyone who walks through our door. I have to say, some of these people I've met while workin' here are some of the most interesting people I've ever met in my life. I've learned a lot about mental illnesses since I've been here and its all actually pretty interesting. I do all the filing of the clients paperwork we get such as their diagnostic assessments so I've learned quite a bit by just doin' that, but yeah... its something I've always been interested in as well. You know what's really odd though? Some of these people that walk in here lookin' for employment who suffer from Paranoid Schizophrenia to Manic depression are really intelligent. I have one gentleman who suffers from Schizophrniform disorder and has hallucinations, but yet has a bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry. Now that's crazy, it simply amazes me. I'm really gettin' into learning more about Autism... now that is something that really interests me cuz no one really knows much about it... such as how somebody gets/becomes autistic. Not just that, but they are really good w/ numbers and certain things, but if you've ever seen or known someone who's autistic you wonder "how can this be?" Shits just crazy.
There was a woman in Seattle that got one of her eyes stabbed out, the other stabbed, got stabbed in the head, and the neck and got her lung punctured by a "patient" who "blacked out."
Bombsac--I think it's very commendable that you would do something like that. If more people in the world cared about others like that, I KNOW we'd be in a much better place. Good luck.
And SRD-just cause they're brain works differently, doesn't mean they're stupid. I'm not saying you think that, obviously you've seen otherwise. But it does go to show, anyone can be a genius, they just might not be able to communicate their ideas to "normal" people...and people that think they are "normal" should be in an institution.
thats good news bombsac. i have alot of experience with the mentally ill for reasons i won't discuss but some of my relatives work with them and some of my relatives also have a mental illness. one thing i've learned is as many people who support and help the mentally ill there are just as many who discriminate against them. it's very sad. they have to deal with alot of ignorance.
