So I've been working in the mental health field for about two months now, and I can say with a closet full of confidence that this will be a fairly short stint, for more reasons than your attention span will allow for. The past two months have proven to be quite interesting, with few dull moments (and many pull-your-hair-out moments). I've compiled a list of little tidbits about life that I've gleaned from working at a group home:
1. Practicing the Heimlich Maneuver on your supervisor is more uncomfortable than...well...this.
2. Mentally ill people have trouble with seatbelts. I think it may be an unwritten law.
3. Grocery shopping with our clients is one of the most entertaining, and rewarding experiences I've ever had.
4. I have a lot more patience than I previously believed.
5. Everyone smokes...everyone.
6. I do not like being called a half-breed by someone who is not a close friend.
7. If you build a cabinet for someone, you get rewarded with food.
8. Administering medication isn't as simple as popping a pill. There are 18 steps that need to be memorized and executed perfectly. Or you get fired.
9. I am the most forgetful person ever.
10. I am the most forgetful person ever.
11. I spend 25% of my paycheck on gas alone. I wish that was an exaggeration.
12. Being in a state hospital for a long enough time can cause more damage than good.
13. Direct care is often a pathway to a career in psych nursing (which is rumored to be well on its way to replacing psychiatry)
14. Apparently, a four-year, $120,000 college degree (double-major!) is only worth 50 cents more per hour than a high school diploma. This is quite unsettling.*
15. I can now install a Brita water filter, fix a garbage disposal, single-handedly mount a 6-ft wide white board, build a cabinet, and fix a malfunctioning cable box.
16. The workday isn't complete without spending 45-90 minutes on the phone with a cable company, pharmacy, doctor's office, or taxi service.
17. Group homes are well-disguised in suburban neighborhoods. it's nearly impossible to differentiate from other houses (this is a good thing).
18. Some people actually respond better when you hang up on them vs. trying to argue a point.
19. Depakote* smells like candy.
20. Some people are really nasty, bitter, and terrible by nature.
21. ...And some only appear that way until you actually take the time to listen and understand them.
22. Some of the friendliest people I've ever met work in mental health.
23. The disease called "Perfection" is powerful enough to make a person crazy...and that person may spend years in the system trying to recover from it.
24. There are many everyday tasks that we take for granted, such as cooking, cleaning out the fridge, and remembering to shower daily. Some people work for years to break down barriers & build up the skills to be able to perform these adequately.
25. The Lord may lay it on your heart to pray for somebody because you are quite literally, the only person in the world who is in a place to do this. They may not have another man or woman of faith in their life. So if you feel that small inkling in your mind to lift someone up...do it. You may be the only one who can.
*Based on a 40-hour workweek, if you just take that 50-cent difference in pay, and add it up without tax, it would take over 115 years to pay off my college education...I should report this to Sallie Mae.
**Depakote (also known as Valproic Acid) is a drug used to treat bipolar disorder and seizures.
