Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Loving my job

Today is not a happy day for me, but i'm sure i will be fine. On to better gist.

I LOVE my new job at the mental hospital. I swear, when my shift ended on Sunday afternoon, i didn't want to leave. I really wished i was going back on Monday, but i don't go back until Saturday. First of all let me say i escaped working in the hardcore unit all 3 days of my unit orientation. I was still in the schizophrenic/bipolar/depressed unit but they are not the violent ones. I have never worked so hard in all the almost 6yrs i've been working. I was on my feet for 8hrs straight and that has never happened. You have to check on the patients every 15mins and note where they are and what they are doing. Do u know how tedious that is?

You would think i would hate it, right? But i love it. I'm so mentally stimulated, unlike in any of my other jobs. It's like i'm using my brain the whole 8hrs i'm there coupled with the fact that i have to be alert. I don't want any unexpected punches abeg. God!!! If u see the evil eye this one dude was giving me eh?! I fear die. If i did not know he was sick, it would have been another story. Oh, let me tell u guys what happened on Saturday. I was behind the nursing station writing stuff, when i heard "poow!!" The same patient that punched the girl that trained me on Friday, had punched a Dr. that was walking out of the unit jejely. She was in the violent unit that i'm scared of. The doctor came out of the unit, face don red dey swell up. Oh boy, it wasn't funny oh. This lady had been hitting people all week and they told her the next time she did it she was going to jail. After she hit the Doctor, we had to go do a "take down". Na so we carry wear gloves, run go there, (i run follow them like say i for fit do anything) but she gave in without a fight and they put her in the lock down room, or whatever they call it. They called the police sha and she ended up getting automatically discharged and going to jail. They had tried to transfer her to another psychiatric hospital, but they refused to take her, so we had no choice cos she was getting really dangerous. She had been on 1:1 (meaning someone had to be with her every sec) all week. Still that didn't help.

Back to why i like the job, I'm not 100% sure how to explain it, but i just enjoy being there. I don't know if it's because it's a new experience and it's really interesting seeing some of the interesting characters they have or if it's because for the first time, i actually get a chance to help people just by talking and interacting with them. I can be very shy, but given the nature of the job i can't be cos i have to talk to these people. I haven't done a lot of talking but i have been observing how some of the other MHA's interact with the patients and it is so interesting to me. I feel so bad for some of them. Just looking at them, you will never know they are schizophrenic or bipolar.

The one that breaks my heart the most is this 19yr old boy. Fine boy! He reminds me of my brother. He was staring at me on Sunday, he almost had his hand slammed on the door cos the person in front of him didn't hold the door and he wasn't watching. So i told him to watch the door, and he chuckled cos he knew what i was talking about. 5mins later he's sitting in the day room, and i'm standing by the door and i turned around and find him staring at me again. He was just looking, so i said hello and he kept on looking without speaking. So i asked him if he was okay, and he put his head down b4 he said he was fine. What do u make of that? Should i be scared? I had a live pimple that day placed prominently on my forehead, maybe that's what he was looking at. I hope he's not there when i go back on Saturday cos that would mean he has gotten better enough to go home.

Initially i had thot that most of the patients were out of it (crazy) but most of them are not. They have been stabilized by their drugs, so they are "normal", meaning they are aware of everything that's going on, can carry out a regular conversation and stuff like that. I heard some of them are really in a bad shape when they first come in, but their meds help them feel better. So they are just regular people who have mental health issues. I really want to stop being so shy and start talking to them, hopefully i can do that this weekend.

My favorite character so far even though i haven't said a word to him is the gay dude. He's in the violent ward, but behaves himself most of the time unless he just wants attention. He can come over to my unit to take smoke breaks with them or go over to the cafeteria with people from my unit. Usually people from his unit cannot do that cos they are too unpredictable. They are the ones that talk to themselves and other people we can't see and that type of stuff. It's really sad to see. Anyway, back to gay dude. First of all, don't tell him he's not on a catwalk oh, cos he'll probably think u are crazy. He has his signature walk, which is how he walks everywhere especially when he sees you looking at him then he plays it up. He does the hair flip and all that. On Sunday, when i got to work he asked for his bag from the back, they gave him to him. The next thing i saw, he took out his perfume, and sprayed little puffs from the top of his arm (on his shirt) to the bottom, on both arms. Then he said, hmm... i sprayed a little too much didn't i? (You think). He talks in the stereotypical gay way of talking, so that's fun to watch. Then he brought out his nail polish, and proceeded to touch up his already polished nails. Then he was telling me, "don't let no body touch my stuff... nah ahhhnn, if they want to do their nails, they need to get their own stuff and i'll do it for them, but they can't be touching my stuff". Mind you, all their bags are stashed in a room behind the nursing station where no patient can get to it. Character!

There's just so many stories to tell, but the most important thing i know is that this experience is going to make me a better person in many ways. ALSO, me wey too like fine boys i need to be careful, all those fine boys wey dey waka for road no be all of them well oh! If u see some of the guys here, u would never think they had mental issues. There's this one dude i can't just stop looking at, not because he's so cute (he is good looking) but because i just can't believe he has mental issues. He is the stereotypical tall, dark and handsome dude, but with a little psychosis to go with it. I guess it comes in all packages. It's a really sad thing. I think i might end of being a psychiatric doctor if i don't find anything more interesting along the way.


  1. I'm so glad for u! See it didn't turn out badly after all. Hope you do get to learn a whole lot.

    As for the fine, fine boys with psykolomental issues...hmmmmmmmn...

  2. you're loving your job? that means you're still alive, and all our prayers were answered, good!

    I'm happy you like the new gig now, hopefully the dude staring at you doesnt have a crush on you!

  3. aww.... thiz is xctly hw i felt i wud be in a psyko hospital!

  4. What experiences you're having! I'm glad things are going well sha. I would find it too sad to deal with some of the more "far gone" patients, but if it was my job I'd have to deal with it so I can see what you mean about becoming a better person through the experience. I guess when you feel like you're doing something to help them, it makes you feel good about the situation.

    I gotta admit the gay guy sounds very amusing.

    Keep on keeping safe and don't make any of those fellas fall for you o!

  5. wow! am glad you are looking at it from a positive angle. dont fall for any of them o! LOL

  6. Please tell THEM... Not all those fine boys are well O!

    U readlly are enjoying this job. Respect!

  7. Its very good you are enjoying your work...you're right, sometimes you see someone on the roaf and can never guess their issues. Appearances can be deceptive..

  8. Wow, who'd have thunk one'd be so inspired in a mental hosptial? I'm happy for you. Really. The idea still scares me witless though

  9. yaay!! dats d spirit gurl, not kolo-spirit o, *grins*
    @gay dude: hmmmm!!

    take kia

  10. I love the gay guy too..reminds me of a character I just found online who is so so funny..black dude too..
    Anyway just be careful and watch ur back ok…

  11. Thank God o...so won o naa pa?! Thank God o!

    Its good to know u'v found ur own eldorado...

    hehehe its good sha I hope to find something that I would do and enjoy like that

  12. Its good you have a job you enjoy doing.

    I believe you are making a difference.

    Indeed you will leave the job as a much better person.

  13. Good to know you're loving your job o. It's not everyday that happens. Savor it!

  14. oh mayn!!! gay guy is still flipping his hair???..

    gurl, i think u r still in the honeymoon stage of ur job.
    Glad u r enjoying it though.u sure would leave a better person.

    b easy on the kolomental fyne bois oo. we dont want...

  15. eh ya. i kinda understand how u feel, being in a completely different enviroment dan u've been used to. all dat adrenaline rush of knowing u can move out of ur comfort zone & still b doing great. am happy 4 u. it's an experience worth having. enjoy it while it lasts (not dat am saying it won't oh, but u know how d mind works)

    i tell u, fine boys no pimple dem dey get wahala sha. like say, na their punishment 4 being so fine! lol.

  16. So happy to hear u r enjoying ur job. It might be your calling to make people well.

    I feel sad for some of the pple u mentioned. I do hope Nigeria will have better faclities for the mentally sick....

  17. awwwww...i like the picture u've painted..i really feel bad for the patients..its good that u r enjoyin it...i hope that continues!

  18. sounds real interesting.lol
    glad ur enjoying it

  19. I wont mind that ur job for just a day o!
    Lots of interesting characters,lol!

  20. Glad you're enjoying your job. It's great isn't it to realise that the mental health world is just a microcosm of our world as we know it. No difference really...just 'heightened reality'.

  21. What an adventure! wow! I hope you are keeping a diary for all this? Glad you are enjoying your job.



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