If they hadn't taken away my razors, I wouldnt be here!

So I've had some interesting times in my psychiatric nursing clinical at the veteran hospital.

At first I thought I was going to see a lot of PTSD cases, which there are many, but come to find out there is a special clinic for that. In actuality, there is a lot of alcoholism and depression.

Last week I had to pleasure of talking to a lady who was bipolar, and she her mood was currently bottoming out. She said she was admitted because her family had taken away her razor. (I hope I kept a straight face during that conversation. It makes me laugh now). See, to her, if her family had let her keep her razor and continue to cut herself, then she wouldn't go crazy!

I don't mean to sound sadistic at all, but in mental health nursing, you have to laugh or you just get done in. You're dealing with people who are very, very messed up, and sometimes they say things that are funny, or totally don't make sense. A sense of humor helps us deal with things we don't understand. It's not normal to want to kill someone, or yourself, or to hallucinate animals, or think you're the Queen of England, but you have to keep a light heart about it or else you'll end up right beside the man who thinks he is being eaten alive by earthworms.

Nursing is great. I love it. I mean, what other major would encourage you to play Yatzee with a homicidal man during class?