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Don't Feel Bad About Leaving The Mental Health Field

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Mental illness is a terrible illness for anyone to have.

However, lots of people overcome it with the help of mental health workers and mental health professionals.

That's a big reason why many individuals decide to enter the mental health field. They choose to make a living by helping those with serious mental health issues, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, etc.

Lots of mental health workers/professionals work in the mental health field for decades. Then others work in the mental health field for a much shorter time than that.

Either way, if you've worked in the mental health field, whether it be for a long time or not such a long time, and you've decided you would like to leave the field and do something else for a living or retire, don't feel guilty about it.

Just because you have had enough of being a mental health provider doesn't mean you should feel bad about leaving the field, especially if you've worked in the mental health field for a great deal of time. Their's nothing wrong with leaving the field if that's what you want to do. It doesn't make you a bad person or anything like that. All that it means is that you'd like to explore new options for yourself.

And I think it's great that you helped people with mental health issues while you worked in the mental health field.
 
Mental illness is a terrible illness for anyone to have.

However, lots of people overcome it with the help of mental health workers and mental health professionals.

That's a big reason why many individuals decide to enter the mental health field. They choose to make a living by helping those with serious mental health issues, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, etc.

Lots of mental health workers/professionals work in the mental health field for decades. Then others work in the mental health field for a much shorter time than that.

Either way, if you've worked in the mental health field, whether it be for a long time or not such a long time, and you've decided you would like to leave the field and do something else for a living or retire, don't feel guilty about it.

Just because you have had enough of being a mental health provider doesn't mean you should feel bad about leaving the field, especially if you've worked in the mental health field for a great deal of time. Their's nothing wrong with leaving the field if that's what you want to do. It doesn't make you a bad person or anything like that. All that it means is that you'd like to explore new options for yourself.

And I think it's great that you helped people with mental health issues while you worked in the mental health field.

Was a mental health worker for 15 years. Got diagnosed with ptsd caused by my work (some crazy shit happened). Now workers compensation is keeping me from going back. It's probably a good idea I don't go back but when it's not your choice to leave and it's imposed on you it sucks. What now? I have been pushed into some retraining, which I enjoyed, but if I managed to make a career at it, at best I will make half of what I was making. Feeling big losses, career, social group, purpose, bread and butter, competence in exchange for confusion, stress, anger, depression, doubt, fear, guilt. What a deal.
 
Rusty, I'm sorry that being a mental health worker caused you to end up with PTSD.

Being a mental health worker or mental health professional can be very stressful at times.
 
Rusty, I'm sorry that being a mental health worker caused you to end up with PTSD.

Being a mental health worker or mental health professional can be very stressful at times.
Yeah people think it's easy to sit there and listen to people, but giving your undivided attention to someone for 50 minutes, listening to horror stories, all while managing your own bias, feelings, triggers is not an easy gig and that is the easy part. Add to this death threats, assaults, vandalized vehicle while it was at home, dealing with suicide, murder, domestic violence, child molestation like it's a plague, dealing with cutters bleeding all over, family members threatening you on the street because you pulled the mental health act on their son to keep people safe, going to a real hoarders house and experiencing that smell where there is garbage, cat shit and rotten food every where, always understaffed and having to do 3 jobs in one and not get paid a penny more and why not throw in the mix a narcissistic supervisor who bullies you into doing a home assessment where the guy had a loaded weapon and was threatening people with his gun. (I refused to do that assignment, that's when I lost my shit, I wonder why???).
 
No one should ever feel bad about leaving a position/job. If we think about it, a lot of people spend more of their waking hours at work, with the people they work with, than they do their own families. Not every job is fulfilling and if one finds a career that is and does more than just pay the bills that is the best of all worlds. However, a job should never be a detriment to health and/or mental health. When its time to move on hopefully it can be done before things get bad.
 
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