The purpose of this study was to deconstruct the language of psychiatric nu
rses' documentation and charting. Employing concepts developed by post-mode
rn theorists, everyday professional activities can be examined in unique wa
ys that uncover how they conceal or skew rather than reveal and illumine pa
tient conditions. The study design and sample was exploratory; content anal
ysis with first and second level analyses;Nine major categories of charting
entry were found. Deconstruction of the language and discourse of nursing
through a Foucaultian lens goes beyond what is manifest to what is not said
. Professional assumptions about patients and the social construction of pa
tients and patient problems are exposed.