There are two types of people that work in psych wards. Those that are really lazy and those that really do care about people. There really is no in between.

They have a refrigerator in the dayroom with orange juice and milk LOL.

I would be prepared to not take it personal. When I was a teen I went to a hospital for a few weeks. I had to be subdued and given a shot of something to sedate me. Before I was medicated I probably said some really nasty things to people that worked there. I'm sure they realized I was psychotic.

Some people may not be as appreciative of your help as you are used to. But thats the sickness

By far the most difficult thing in a psych ward, I would think, would be dealing with the crazies (no offense intended - I've been one a couple of times). There is just no telling what bizarre thing they might do to themselves, or to each other. I'm talking about the volatile nature of most psych patients. I've seen patients who seemed calm, explode in a hearbeat. Do you know what I mean?

Bad food and wheel chair races...

Then you get in trouble,...

or was that me??? Hmmmmm....

Mainly just prepare yourslef for "Anything Goes" some people will be calm and not cause any troulbe and keep to themselves (that's what I always do) So freak out at the drop of a hat, because they may be psychotic or other things. What you must understand is that these people are not here for it to be a "dumping ground". they are real people in pain, scared, anxious, half the time not knowing what is going to happen to them. The more gentle and caring and compassionate you are to them, the better they will be towards you.

yeah i know what you mean IMIK when i was in when i was younger i got attacked by a old patient. she actually struck me belived i was evil that i was one of them. she also scratched and beat the hell out the nurses. i wasnt much different. i destroyed the place i ripped phones of the walls and smoked when i shouldnt of. i had a fight with another inmate and kicked off at a higher nurse

forgot to add. the nurses did not care for the patiants. i was 17 with history of sexual abuse which at the time was a majour trigger as i also had ptsd they put me in with some guy that was obssessed wth little girls and thought they "fancied him" i was also supposeed to be on 24 hour watch and i got threatned with a knife from another patient cause he grabbed me inapropiatly and i had a fight with him.

I agree fully with Juiceski when he says not to take it personally. That's probably the best thing I could offer. I can't offer anything on the adult ward from personal experience, but I've been in the adolescent ward. No patient is the same as another one, and the best thing I would say is to take each case individually, and not expect anything.

The unexpected. Everyone is different, some are doing the thorazine shuffle, some are pains in the rear and others just mind their business and are quiet

i agree with everyone else. i think well-meaning professionals have to build up some defenses to remain objective. my guess is it's imperative to have some safe place, maybe with other staff, to let steam out. it is NOT personal, but it's likely some patients (of which i've been several times) will make negative personal remarks to you.
and read up on burn out. knowing the warning signs are crucial to remaining effective, as well as self-caring (in addition to having bipolar disorder, i'm also a social worker)

I just had my first experience as an inpatient on a psych ward, following a serious suicide attempt. I had a relatively positive experience because it was a great program and there were only 10 or so people inpatient at the time. I was inpatient for only 2-3 days and then was moved to outpatient PHP (partial hospital program)for 3.5 weeks.

I agree that there are 2 types of staff that work with inpatients: those that are compassionate and those that are jaded (and sometimes sadistic). I imagine that there is a high degree of burnout because each patient is different and has a unique constellation of problems and life experiences that placed him or her there.

Most of the people in my unit during my brief stay had psych issues mixed with addiction. Also, there were a few people who were tranquilized out of their minds (?) and some who were just outright bizarrre.

Please realize that patients are human beings with real problems and pain that you can only imagine in your worst nightmares.

I find it helps to remember that we were all someone's baby at one time. We were all born innocent and then for some reason were thrown into different situations that hurt us. Or we developed mental problems because of genetic factors. Most of the people I got to know had been beaten, raped, abused in some way (as I had been)...had been shuffled around to different homes, had been homeless at some point, had been victims of incest, had been children of people with psych issues of their own (or had entire families that had histories of mental illness).

I wouldn't start working with psychiatric patients just because you are curious or bored, because you will quickly find yourself overwhelmed or jaded. I would only do so if you have genuine compassion and the calling, so to speak.

Good luck with your decision.