Ted Talk: A Tale of Mental Illness: Elyn Saks

What are your takeaways from this clip? 

• Having meaning and depth to life is important  

• Supportive environments are important - intellectually stimulating environments may be helpful 

• Having excellent treatment  

• It is possible to live a very successful life  

• Stigma against mental illness is so powerful 

• "They are not schizophrenics, they are people with schizophrenia, who may be your spouse, child, neighbors, co-worker, friend" 

• We need to invest more research into mental illness - which ultimately leads to less force due to better understanding of the illnesses and better care 

• We need to stop criminalizing mental illness 

• Portraying people with mental illness in movies and entertainment are important - showing them as people and not diagnoses  

• "Don't take my devils away because my angels may flee too" 

  • "my devils are so terrifying that my angels have already fled" 

• Humanity we all share is more important than the mental illness we may not  

Having listened to Elyn's story, how do you think it may influence (or not) your nursing practice?  

• "nightmare while you are awake" 

• Schizophrenic mind is not split, but shattered  

• "gravely disabled" - lead to involuntary hospitalization 

• Mechanical restraints - she never struck anyone, made any direct threats, etc. 

  • Strapped down to a bed, left to suffer for hours 

  • Restraints do not help psychiatric patient's feel safe 

• Pro psychiatry, anti-force - force is not an effective treatment  

• The less medication does not mean the patient is better  

• "hospitals are bad"