Depression may be situational or chronic, she said. But there’s hope, she said, because depression is treatable. "Many times it’s a chemical imbalance in the brain which can be corrected with the right medications," Hamner said. "But along with that, they also need some therapy because it’s a two-fold process."

An underlying medical problem such as infection or a thyroid out of control will sometimes mask itself as depression, she said. So a comprehensive evaluation is made for each new patient, she said.

Young adults to the elderly population are treated at the hospital. Medicare A & B program accepts people transferred from a hospital or physicians’ offices.

"The average length of this program is three to six months but some people are here for a year," she said. "We take them and kind of transition them to get them back into society and functioning."

Patients receive a psychiatric diagnosis and have to be on a psychiatric medication for entry into the program.

"They have to be established with an outpatient psychiatrist. The behavioral medicine program also includes a psychiatrist who visits with patients once a month, Hamner said. The geriatric population is particularly vulnerable to depression, Hamner said. They may have experienced several losses during their lifetimes, including friends and family members.

"Inpatient units get a lot of people from the nursing homes and assisted living centers," she said. "Maybe they just need a medication change. They’re going through a lot of life changes."

Hamner’s responsibilities also includes facilitating intakes, discharges and education. She contact physicians when problems surface. "Loss of health and independence and all of that combined can lead to depression," she said.

Severe depression and anxiety brings many patients to St. Anthony South as well as other mental health challenges such as bi polar, schizophrenia, schizoeffective disorder — among other conditions.

"We have people here of all educational levels, all financial levels," she said. "There’s nothing that excludes them from coming as long as they need help with mental illness."

Hamner said psychiatric nurses should care about their patients’ well being. She is over the LPNs and the mental health techs. Hamner said there’s an enriching opportunity to interact with patients and their families.

"For some (patients) it’s a short-term thing and others have been dealing with it all their lives," she said. "So you have to have compassion for people with mental illness."

Hamner earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at teh University of Oklahoma in 1991.

She said a lot of psychiatric nurses began their careers as psych tech,and went to school while their were working.

"Each individual person has to chose. We’re not all good at the same things," she said of the nursing profession. "But this is a wonderful field to work in."

Health care has always sparked interest for Hamner since she was a Candy Striper at age 14. She climbed the professional ladder from being a nurse adie, licensed practial nurse to registered nurse. For five years, Hamner has been in charge of the nursing staff at St. Anthoy South.

"We get intakes from all over Oklahoma City. We get intakes from the Norman area, Midwest City, Bethany and Yukon, clear up to Edmond," she said.

Transportation is available to pick-up patients within a 30-mile radius of the hospital, she said. "I really love psych nursing. I love St. Anthony. This is a great bunch of people to work with," she said. "Their mission statement is in line with my own values I have for nursing."

St Anthony’s mission statement reads, "Through orur exceptional health care services, we reveal the healing presence of God." Hamner said quality leadership flows down from the hospital administration to the supervisors.

"From the top to the bottom level, there is a quality of people here," she said. "If you start talking to the nurses, you will meet a lot of nurses who have been here over 30 years. "And when you see a nurse who has been in a position that long, you know that this is a good quality place to work."