Nurse finds purpose in working with mentally challenged

Registered nurse Paula Lawrence is one of three healthcare workers at the Bellevue Hospital who received the health ministry’s Dr Barry Wint Memorial Scholarship.

This scholarship aims to provide financial assistance for persons currently enrolled or accepted into tertiary level academic programmes in all health careers. An elated Lawrence told THE STAR that the scholarship will not only advance her academically, but give her an opportunity to mould mental health nurses in training.

“This scholarship covers the duration of the programme. I am doing the master’s in nursing education at UWI. I think in order to improve the care that nurses give, we must take it from the beginning, and doing nursing education will allow me to interact more with nurses in training. And by doing that, I am able to help to shape and mould them to becoming the best version of themselves when they step into the profession,” she said.

The Glenmuir High School past student said that she initially wanted to become a medical doctor, but faced financial constraints.

“I wanted to go to nursing school and then leave to become a doctor. I went to UTech and, somewhere along the way, I fell in love with nursing. In my third year, I did mental health nursing and I did practical at Bellevue Hospital and fell in love with mental health nursing, and decided that at the end of my study, I would seek employment at Bellevue and I did just that and began working there in 2021,” she said.

September is observed as Mental Health Awareness Month, and, according to the World Health Organization, approximately 20 to 40 per cent of Jamaicans experience a mental health issue throughout their lives.

According to Lawrence, for years mental health has been overlooked, but that has changed.

“It is since COVID actually that we see mental health getting more attention because of the pressures of the virus and how persons started reacting to it. During my time at Bellevue, I have met some amazing patients and it has taught me that mental health isn’t specific to anyone. There are so many things that can affect your mental health. I have met doctors, lawyers, teachers with severe mental health issues,” she said.

Lawrence noted that other than genetics, mental illness can occur through traumatic incidents.

“You could fall and hit your head and next thing you are [facing challenges]. We have a culture of smokers and drinkers, and persons who use ganja, grabba and chemicals. But smoking these chemicals could be bad for your mental health. Stress has a lot to do with it also. There is just so much to mental health,” Lawrence added.

She stated that the stigma associated with mental health creates heavy social barriers that stop people from seeking professional medical assistance.

“It is disheartening to see how mental illness can hurt not only the patient but their loved ones. It is disheartening to see the stigma attached to the disease. A lot of times because of the stigma persons don’t want to take their meds or do their checks at the clinic. Bellevue has opened my eyes to many of these situations,” she said.

While working in a mental institution is not for the faint of heart, Lawrence said she has managed to keep her sanity intact by taking each day with a smile.

“Mental health patients have the ability to become disrespectful and it’s all a part of the illness. I have learned not to take everything so seriously. I understand that if a patient decides to tell me a few colourful words, I don’t take it personally and I care for them according to the protocol that I am given to follow. There is no aspect of nursing that is easy, but it’s best to ensure that you don’t lose yourself and your ability to take care of the patients well,” she said.

She admitted that some patients have even threatened her.

“But by the time they spin around and come back, I am aunty, mommy, nurse or mamz, so you just can’t take these things seriously. It is just a part of the illness,” Lawrence added.