What's it like to be a mental health nurse?

12 May is International Nurses' Day. We’re all familiar with the role of physical health nurses, but you might not know as much about psychiatric nurses. We spoke to Steven Daykin, who is a Ward Manager at Highbury Hospital, about what a psychiatric nurse does and what being a nurse means to him.

I got into psychiatric nursing because I had been around mental illness from a young age. My Grandma had Alzheimer’s, and from around the age of 10 I spent many a day in a psychiatric hospital in Derby. I was around very ill people, who didn’t know who they were and who were saying quite strange things. They were often emotional or sad, and this became a normal everyday environment for me.

I became a nurse in my early twenties. No two days are the same. I feel empathy for how people’s lives are severely affected, people from all walks of life who I can often find some common ground with - be it in their family ties, job or life experiences.

Patients’ lives can be affected in different ways. Depression stops people from being able to eat, sleep, or to have the motivation to wash themselves. They may have thoughts about harming themselves and believe they are worthless.

Sometimes patients have psychotic beliefs, where they have some strange thoughts or hear voices telling them to hurt themselves or others. There can also be nice voices  - patients may hear someone passing comment on their actions throughout the day. Sometimes these types of voices are equivalent to a person’s friend and can be missed after successful treatment.

Someone in a manic mood phase may be putting themselves in risky situations or have no concept of time, budgets or how their actions affect others close to them. 

Whatever the patient’s issues, I sit and listen to what they are wanting, their frustrations and sometimes irrational thought processes. I also learn about their families. If I’m lucky I get to meet their families, hear their side of the story and support them, too.

There are difficult situations that arise, such as having someone being on the ward under the mental health law which stops them from being able to come and go as they please. People can get angry and this can come out in many forms. This only happens occasionally, and myself and my colleagues try to reduce this frustration as much as we can be offering activities or time with staff.

An inpatient psychiatric nurse is a bit of a jack of all trades. In one day we can be offering medication and treatment, helping with benefit information, making sure the person’s physical health is taken care of, organising dentist appointments, supporting patients to find new accommodation, liaising with their employer, linking in with police if there are ongoing issues and working with social care to help a patient access their young family.

Most importantly, we offer a kind ear to listen to what each individual wants help with, try to help them to get their life back on track, and involve families where we can. The role of a psychiatric nurse is a challenging one, but it is immensely rewarding.

I met my wife on the ward next door 10 years ago and I have 3 beautiful children because of nursing. I’m now in my mid 30s and manage an inpatient team of nurses and healthcare assistants. I try to pass on the skills and knowledge I have learnt, so the team can build on their own skills and offer the same empathy and support I saw my Grandmother receive all those years ago.