More images and photos at, www.army.mil/ women/nurses.html

In the world today being a nurse is not a only a desired career, but one that is in high demand. Many people do not see nurses as being vital, especially when you’ve got a doctor to go see. The doctors the one that makes you all better right? The person that gives the diagnose, does the exams, and performs medical magic, right? There the ones you need to see to get all better, right? There top dogs, most important in a hospital, right? 

Well, not always.

If this were all true why would you even need a nurse? They seem to act more like a gateway to where you need to be. Wrong. Nurses have a very distinct, very critical job. “They [Nurses] focus on the needs of the patient rather than the illness or condition. They also promote good health and well being through education.”  In a way nurses provide the emotional support that is highly needed with a patient. One key thing nurses do is, “[gain] the trust and confidence of each patient… as they have more continuity of patient care than other members of the medical team.” Nurses are like our crutch, we may not always like them or want them around, but they provide the support we need to get through a difficult time.

So we can see that a nurse is one of the most vital positions in a hospital. Besides doing the regular tasks, like shots, checkups, simple exams (eye and ear), etc. they are where a patient finds trust and emotional support.

But these are just nurses for everyday people and hospitals. 

What about all the other nurses? Personal nurses, school nurses, special education nurses, and the nurses working in mental establishments. These nurses have to deal with unique people and problems everyday. School nurses have to know how to cater to children. Personal nurses can devote a lifetime to the well being of one single life. Special education nurses deal with high needs children and adults. And nurses employed at mental establishments have to work with some of the most unpredictable people you will ever meet.

The everyday nurse working at a mental establishment has the job of a regular nurse, only amplified. They still act the crutch, try to gain trust, only with these patients its much harder. Some of these patients may be unable to trust, they might not accept help or support. So of coarse the nurse will have to work much harder, so of coarse the nurse is under much more strain and pressure.

These nurses must also cater to individual needs. Every patient can be dangerous and unpredictable, every one of them has a unique problem. Its like babysitting a 5 year old, only these temper tantrums are lethal. In the right hands any object is a weapon, any moment can go wrong. These nurses need to be on there toes, ready to calm, cater, and possible sedate and restrain a person at any time. Not just anyone can be hired, these people need to undergo serious training.

That’s why these nurses are the true nurses. Out of all other categories, they take on some of the most hard to bear tasks and responsibilities.

Source/Quote 1 & 2: Prospects

Image 1: Army Nurse’s

Today the human mind is one of the most powerful advanced brains in nature, and yet we know very little about how it works. This is part of why we are so interested in ourselves and in psychology. Out of all our body parts the brain is one of the most undeveloped areas of research. It is the most complex and important organ, and because of how advanced humans are, it is what sets us above animals and what gives us rational thought and more then mere instinct. So of coarse we want to know more about the most essential tool in our body’s, it just so happens that this tool is the one we know least about.

So overtime interest has grown and in that the essence of psychology has grown, past a journey into ones own mind, and into ideas of how the brain works in general. Branching out from general to individual, the essence of psychology has grown.

But what about the defects, flaws, or psychological issues that we currently see in the brain? Indeed there are many traumas and conditions we find in the brain. Why else would we have psych wards or entire hospitals devoted to curing and studying those with “abnormal minds?” So here, to, the essence of psychology has grown. Today there are more then a textbook full of psychological disorders, so it only makes sense that there is so much time and effort devoted to research of such disorders. And of coarse, the reason for so much research is not only that these brains are even more unique then an average brain, but also so we may help aid and cure those handicapped to such disorders. So, in a way, the essence of psychology does track back to helping people. Because so many in this field have devoted there lives to helping people. Whether the people they are helping are addicts, mental patients, or the average Joe on the brink of a psychological breakthrough, Psychologists are constantly finding new ways to help people. Help is the essence.

Quote One: WikiAnswers

Image One: Crystal Productions

Look at this picture. What is the first thing that comes to mind? The long, depressing halls, the stretching dark shadows, the gruesome barred windows, and the grainy black and white view? (more photos at http://www.lost-least.it/insane-2.htm) To most people this image screams insane asylum. It screams, “I’m a container for those unfit to live in the outside world! I’m full people that mumble nothing and bash their faces into walls! I am nothing more than a holding cell for loons and psychopaths!” but mostly, what this image screams at us is, “I’m a bad stereotype for the mentally ill! I’m what people think of when they think crazy! I’m a lie, a twisted rumor, and a Hollywood depiction!”

When most people think of an insane asylum their mind will instantly jump to images, quite like this one, of dark gloomy living quarters, like prison cells. They think of the people inside them as incurable monsters, people unfit for society. Do we ever think of these people as patients? As ill people in need of help? Rarely. To most of us we don’t know what to think, we don’t know what its like to live at a mental institute, we don’t know what these people think or why they act so different. Many of us are ignorant about what really goes on in such places, so we let Hollywood and bad rumors create our ideas and opinions about them. That’s why we dehumanize these people and look down on them. We have all these stereotypes of how the mentally ill act, most of which aren’t true.

And we let this happen because we don’t know and we don’t care to know. These people are different, unstable, and often times scary. They are a lower class of society; unfit to live a real life, so why should we care to find out any more? There not like me, there not equal to me, in fact their not even human to me. But they are. Inside each person has a thought, a beating heart, and a working mind. They may think different, they may act different, and they may be classified as mad, psychopathic, or ill, but inside they work the same as you or I. They are humans, they are creatures, and they do not deserve to be looked down upon. Most of these people are the way they are to no fault of their own, and yet you judge them upon their nature?

So the next time you look at a depiction of a long dark hall, or even at a patient such as the one below, look closer, and see the lies. See the stereotypes and make your opinions knowing that each person is equal, each person thinks and lives and breathes. And knowing that each person has a soul, each person is an individual, and each person is equal, judge the patient below. Judge him knowing he is a monstrous mental patient. Judge him and see the truth behind his sorrow eyes. Judge him and see his pain and his hurt, his outreaching hand. Judge him, and see like he sees and understand him as if he were anybody. Judge him, and ask yourself:

Are these the eyes of a monster, or the eyes of a human?

Image one: http://www.lost-least.it/insane-2.htm

Image two: www.dgorton.com/ white_south/mental.html

We, as a whole, are a horrible species. We don’t seem to realize that every person has a soul, a brain, a thought. Every person is a human, not a monster, not a joke, not trash. Because of our ignorance we walk the world, taunting the ugly and disfigured, laughing at the obese, and mentally ill, sneering at the poor, criticizing the weak. We are mean, we are cruel, and we don’t even realize the damage we do.

The time has long since past to end to many times. Help is needed everyday, by our neighbors, our families and friends, and by so many strangers in the world. Open your eyes, even for just a second, and you will see the amount of suffering in our world, and you will see that we all need a hand. You will see that help is needed, whether it comes as small as giving up your bus seat, or as large as donating a kidney. So don’t wait until your are the one in need, don’t wait, to let your eyes and your soul open to the amount of need in our world. Let your heart open today, let the ice melt and let your actions be heard. Speak up for the little guy. Be the unseen savior. Become a hero, and make someone smile. Be a pal and spare a nickel. Show empathy, not disgust at those less fortunate. Be the first on your block to donate blood. But no matter what, be a better person, and recognize when your help is needed. Don’t wait, act today.

My blog is coming from a fresh, young mind. This makes my ideas unique and my perspective different. Many popular articles, papers, and other blogs on psychology are written by much older people and are therefore more formal and professional. My writing this blog is allowing others to see how a young adult would view different psychological issues and offers a perspective that is not often seen, but needed. We need to see how all people think on these issues and ideas.

 The brain is the most fascinating organ, in humans and animals alike. Each and every person is different and unique because of their brain. But then there are brains that are even more unique, “abnormal” minds, like those of the criminally insane or those being contained in insane asylums. These people are so different then “regular” society, and they have become one of my highest interests. This subject matters to me because it includes some of the most fascinating studies and research. I would love to take my Passion further and explore ideas related to psychology. This blog matters because it is my first chance to do a little research and studying of my own.