My experience of psychiatric wards

I would like to now dispose of many assumptions you may have made about what psychiatric wards are like. Even nowadays, many people think that the patients are drugged up and left to sit and dribble and are spoon-fed! Films such as One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest and K-Pax don't help, and I would like to describe to you how amazing mental health wards can be, and what a therapeutic environment they provide for their temporary residents.

I will begin by stating that currently the government are trying to get rid of mixed wards and only create wards that are either all-male or all-female. I had a 6 week placement on an all-female ward and absolutely loved it. Most of the patients engaged really well with me and one lady even baked me a cake on my last day! This ward had 12 beds, an art room, two lounges, a dining room, a garden with a smoking terrace, a quite room, and several bathrooms and shower rooms along with the spacious bedrooms upstairs. The staff were absolutely brilliant and we frequently took some patients out for a walk (those who were granted leave by the Consultant).

Of course, these wards are psychiatric wards and there will be patients on there who are struggling with their own mental health problems, and sometimes this can escalate into verbal or physical aggression. All staff I have come across have had excellent skills at deescalating these situations.

I think it is important to have a positive view of these places, as you never know if someone you care about may need to visit one for a while, and too many people see it as a negative thing. It is obviously needed by that person at that time, and it is all about providing a safe environment with professionals where they can recover and get back to their homes :)

There is definitely potential for quality of life on a psychiatric ward!

First Post :)

Hello! I have just decided to start this Mental Health Blog, as I would love to share my knowledge and hopefully give some inspiring posts to people who are struggling out there with a range of mental health problems. Here is a bit about myself:

I am a 22 year old girl from the UK. I am in my 3rd year at university studying an Advanced Diploma in Mental Health Nursing. I have one final 12 week long placement and then I will be a qualified mental health nurse!

I have job interviews in May this year, and I can choose my top 3 places to work in this area.

I have had some wonderful placements in all sorts of different environments, and I shall begin my blog with a few reflective posts about what I enjoyed and learnt from my favourite placements!

I will also be popping some self-help posts up, just for anyone to look at really, even if you feel you do not have mental health problems it is surprisingly interesting to take a look at your life in different ways to see why you are who you are today!

I must stress that I am not intending to provide an alternative to professional counselling/therapy, and if you do suffer from mental health issues that are affecting your life please consult your GP!

I look forward to doing some more posts, so I hope you decide to follow me and take a peek at some insights into mental health and how people's minds work!

xxxxxxxxxxx