I will be leaving my covering colleague with his job cut out for him. The unit cencus includes a unit full of depressed people who are having relationship problems and many of them have done something really stupid to get them in heat with their S.O. and are now trying to get out of trouble. This ploy usually works, until the next time. There is always a next time.
There is a large group of really sick people hearing a lot of sounds that no one else hears and seeing things that are not there. One is so disorganized that his behavior goes beyond description. Something about turning a tee shirt with a wolf on it into a tiger, or something similar. New age alchemy I guess. It is best not to try to think too hard about what this kind of patient is trying to relate as it is likely to cause one's brain to explode.
We have the usual selection of bratty teenagers who have never had limits set on them. Now they are uncontrolled and often violent monsters who are sent to us after they trash their parents house with the hopes that we will be able to find some kind of magic pill to fix their child's illness. What they need is a good dose of structure and discipline but by this time, most of them are beyond hope and if they are not in the legal system, are soon going to be.
We have several paranoid patients, often talking to themselves, very watchful of the other patients and mistrustful of staff intentions. I like these guys. They are the real deal. It is too bad that they think that I want to kill them.
There are victims of the downturn of the economy, but in reality, many of these people could have jobs. They just choose not to look for one and have set their sights on disability as a long term solution to their worries. Frustrating group to work with as they clearly can work. They just do not feel like it. A life of nothing but watching TV, drinking beer and smoking cigarettes seems like such a waste to me.
Of course there are some legitimately depressed people out there, too. The ones whom often are described during morning report as living the life in a country music song- loose your wife, your house, your truck, etc. It is easy to like these guys, but hard to know what to tell them. Surprisingly, these people usually pull through.
And lastly, the addicts. These can range from those pushed into treatment and came to the psychiatric hospital over detox because they did not really want to get pushed into rehab. They just wanted to look like they were quitting the drugs/alcohol. Some were too mentally ill to tolerate the rehab program where they were getting treatment and were sent to the hospital. Some of them were able to have enough clarity of mind to look back over their lives and see what they did have vs what they have bow. Many times they realize that they have nothing left- no home, friends, family- nothing. And they realize that they have nothing to live for. Some of these guys may not make it I fear.
But, I am going on vacation, the pager is turned off and I already chewed one staff member who dared page me after 5PM today when I was not even on call. The doctors who are covering are good doctors, I trust their judgement and know my patients will get good care. You may not hear from me in a while. I will be busy working on my heavy dose of high SPF and self tanner mix (defies logic, does it not?) and may not have access to a computer.
We are going in my husband's boring "crossover" type big POS monster vehicle with no satellite radio, no Bluetooth, no chrome tailpipes. Now if I could just get over the separation anxiety from MY car, I would be fine.
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