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County nurse practitioner urges person-first approach for people after first psychotic episode
Summary
Marsha Nelson, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner who works at the county, said first psychotic episodes are frightening and urged clinicians to treat symptoms while recognizing "you're not a diagnosis," stressing longer visits and listening as part of care.
Marsha Nelson, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner who works at the county, told listeners that people who experience a first psychotic episode are often frightened and confused and should not be defined by a diagnosis. "You're not a diagnosis," she said, adding that symptoms can be treated.
Nelson said she has worked in the county in her current position for three and a half years and that she also has family members who have struggled with mental health and substance use. That personal experience, she said, reinforces the importance of providing unbiased treatment.
Contrasting her current county work with prior roles in private settings, Nelson said private practice often felt like "seeing people, giving them meds, they're out the door," while county work has allowed her to spend more time with patients. "I often spend more time letting people talk than maybe I should, but I think it's important to just have people know that they're being seen, they're being heard, and we can help," she said.
She closed her remarks by offering reassurance to people seeking care: "We're here for you every step of the way." The transcript contains these remarks but does not record any formal action or response to them.
