Just thought I would share a standard conversation on some wards. The client in this case is more than capable of thinking.
Morning Conversation:
Nurse: Hello, how are you today ?
Client: Very depressed. I want to kill myself, I think I’ll jump off a nearby bridge.
Nurse: Gosh. Well I am afraid we’ll not be letting you off the ward later then.
Client: But I want to go out !
Nurse: Why ?
Client: To kill myself…
and so on.
Then the afternoon shift comes on and all the morning shift comes home. Often round this time a magical thing called handover happens.
The Afternoon Conversation:
Client: Can I go out please ?
Nurse 2: No I am afraid you can’t.
Client: Why ?
Nurse 2: Because you said this morning you were going to jump off a bridge.
Client: How do you know ?
Nurse 2: Because all nurses are psychic !
Clients must know that we talk to one another. Though some might now believe we are psychic. Clients generally have at least as much sense as staff, very often even more.
So what is the point of the above exchanges ? Is there a point at all. Are they covering up another reason for not wanting to go out. Did they just have a fleeting thought of suicide ? When are you going to risk letting them out ?
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