Abstract
This research is aimed at clarifying the structure of problems facing psychiatric nurses. We listened to the internal experiences of nurses who work at closed wards for chronics. We found the following five points from our interviews. 1. Most nurses were vague about their motives for going into psychiatric nursing and did not have a concrete idea of what to expect. 2. Most nurses told of how they couldn't do anything to help patients who later committed suicide or to help patients with severe symptoms. 3. Among the problems they face are a lack of confidence in their ability, lack of communication with other staff, and fear and anxiety regarding violent patients. 4. The nurses tend to forget the problems they experienced. 5. Positive aspects of their work are their interactions with patients and their own growth. These interviews showed that nurses are fearful of patient violence, feel powerless at times and work under several vicious cycles.
