Insights from a Mental Health Nurse

I met Laura Ku, RN several years ago when we were both students at Flinders University School of Nursing, South Australia. Laura is originally from Korea and worked a few years in Korea as a clinical psychologist before coming to Australia as a foreign student. She has done very well and is now a permanent resident of Australia and a Registered Nurse at Flinders Medical Centre (the second largest public hospital in South Australia) in the mental health ward for eating, gambling and anxiety disorders.

We were interested in getting some insights into what she does and what we can learn in this area that affects many people and their families globally. This interview was carried out on 11 March 2026 in Adelaide.

1. What does your typical day look like?

Our ward has 8 beds and takes care of voluntary patients with eating, gambling and anxiety disorders. Currently, I do 12hour shifts and they start with handover from the prior shift, then medication round, followed by meal support and post-meal supervision. There is then time with the patients involving distraction techniques such as playing games, puzzles, and colouring. Patients also participate in various group sessions from Monday to Friday such as psychotherapy, occupational therapy, music therapy and so on. Time is also set aside for doctor review, 1-1 therapy sessions and free time. Taking obs (blood pressure and other vital signs) is where the most direct nurse to patient interaction occurs and having thorough conversation.

2. What are the patients like and what kind of treatment interventions are used?

Patients are aware of that they have a problem and are (most cases) voluntary which means they want to be there voluntarily for recovery and they have a right to self-discharge. Most patients are not violent or aggressive but tend to have emotional dysregulation and high anxiety levels. Patients can be referred by a GP and gambling and anxiety disorder patients have an individual plan. Eating disorder patients have a structured timetable for their recovery. The length of stay depends on the disorder, e.g. eating disorders can be 4-6 weeks, whereas gambling disorder may be 2 weeks or so.

The treatment interventions may involve 1 to 1 motivational interviewing, group therapy, and occasionally volunteers come in such as with therapy dogs. All groups run by professionals. As patients are often feeling overwhelmed, distraction strategies are very important.

A structured timetable is necessary to create a sense of discipline and regularity. Although coming in is very daunting and challenging for them, most people do stick it out for the full treatment period.

3. How do people fall into the addictive behaviours?

There appears to be some influence from family background/environment (influenced by friends) as often a person will have siblings or parents with the similar problem. This probably makes it easier for them to start out in the addiction. Then the initial effect is they experience something positive, for example gamblers initially achieve a win and this euphoric feeling leads them to go for bigger and bigger highs.

Also, if a person has a lack of coping mechanisms for stress, it accumulates and relief through addictive behaviours becomes more enticing. Eventually bouts of high stress get met with binges of the addictive behaviours.

Even if a patient shows good progress and improvement during the treatment, they can remain at risk for relapse once they are out of the 24/7 support environment.

4. What do you like most about your job?

Seeing a patient recover during and after their stay is very rewarding. By recover, we mean they are better than when they came in as evidenced by more clear thinking, more insightful, reduced anxiety level, increased positive behaviours and managed emotional stress with own distraction strategies.

The job is never boring and colleagues are aware and tend to look after each other more from a mental health and holistic angle.

5. What do you like least about your job?

There are no major dislikes, but shifts on a mental health ward can be longer than those on a medical ward, as nurses provided continuous support throughout the 12 hour shift, which can be physically and emotionally challenging. To avoid burnout, it is really important to manage the days off well.

6. Any recommendations on how each of us can avoid falling into mental health issues?

It’s very important to have a coping mechanism/strategy such as a hobby or activity, as well as supportive people such as good friends and family, to develop resilience. Many patients have family support but family doesn’t always understand what the person is going through. That’s where friends and wider social network come in to provide an outlet and wider perspective on life.

Also, when it becomes too much, it is important to seek professional help. Many people are not averse to getting help. However, what they receive informally often does not lead to a positive outcome in their mind, so they withdraw and become sceptical of further help. It’s necessary to get the right help as early as possible.

----------

Thank you very much Laura Ku for your insights. We believe nurses and other healthcare professionals in the front line of mental health care are the real heroes that make a difference in our society and community.

Contact

Email: hello@bloomtimesg.org

Privacy Statement

We respect your privacy. We collect only the information needed to respond to enquiries, improve our website, and provide updates (with your consent). We do not sell your data. By using this site, you agree to our use of cookies. For access, correction, or withdrawal of consent under the Singapore PDPA, please contact us at hello@bloomtimesg.org.

@2025 All rights reserved.

Photo credits: Trixie Thye, Annemarie Schaepman, Kevin Castel, Fabrizio Conti, Alex Shuper