mental health nursing Flashcards
Mental Health:
State of well-being in which individuals reach their potential, cope with normal stresses of life, work productivity, and contribute to the community
World Health Organization (2019) defines health is:
“a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
Traits of positive mental health
rational thinking
communication skills
learning
emotional growth
resilience
self esteem
Mental Illness
Psychiatric disorders with definable diagnoses
Significant dysfunction in mental functioning related to:
1) Developmental
2) Biological
3) Physiological disturbances
Culturally defined & always changing
Mental health vs mental illness
A real middle ground exists: stress discomft from everyday life
Conceptualized as points along a mental health continuum
Resilience
how you bounce back
ability and capacity to secure resources needed to support well-being
characterized by:
1) ability to secure needed resources
2) capacity for regulating one’s own emotions and overcoming negative, self-defeating thoughts
Essential to recovery
Social and Economic circumstances
Family
Schools and peer groups
Socioeconomic status
Educational advancement
Environmental factors
Political climate & cultural considerations
Social & economic policies
Stigma
Refers to the discrediting, devaluing, and shaming of a person because of a person because of characteristics or attributes that they possess
Stigma involves 3 elements
A lack of knowledge (ignorance)
Negative attitudes (prejudice)
People behaving in ways that disadvantage the stigmatized person (discrimination)
Five themes of stigma in mental health nursing;
Four themes are patient-related
Personal/patients stigma
Public/social stigma
Family stigma
Employment stigma
The fifth theme is related to stigma toward healthcare professionals working with patients with mental illnesses:
- Professional stigma
How do we reduce stigma about the mental health population?
Self-reflection & education
A ‘bottom up’ approach
General public campaigns
Target the media to try and ensure more balanced and accurate coverage of mental health issues
Anti-discrimination policy and legislation
Perceptions of Mental Health & Mental Illness
Mental illness versus physical illness:
Root of most mental disorders lies in intercellular abnormalities
Nature versus nurture:
Diathesis-stress model (most accepted explanation for mental illness)
Diathesis-Stress Model
Diathesis- biological predisposition
Stress - environmental stress or trauma
Most accepted explanation for mental illness
Combination of genetic vulnerability and negative environmental stressors
Assertion:
Most psychiatric disorders result from a combination of genetic vulnerability and negative environmental stressors
Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing
Promoting mental health through assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of behavioral and mental disorders
The nurse develops a nursing diagnosis and plan of care, implements the nursing process, and evaluates it for effectiveness
Use nursing, psychosocial, neurobiological theories, and research
Work with people throughout the lifespan
Employed in a variety of settings and among varied populations
Registered nurses work with individuals, families, groups, and communities, assessing their mental health needs
Assessing and providing a therapeutic environment or milieu as a treatment and management modality
Trends affecting the future
Educational challenges
Demand for mental health professionals
Aging population
Cultural diversity
Science, technology, electronic healthcare
Advocacy & legislative involvement
Classical Psychoanalysis
Purpose is to uncover unconscious conflicts
Seldom used today
Intrapsychic conflict ( at an early age) no longer considered to be the cause of all mental illness:
Free association - freely share whatever thoughts/ words come to mind to access the unconscious
Dream analysis
Defense mechanism recognition
Valid tools & concepts:
Transference
Countertransference
Transference
refers to unconscious feelings that the patient has toward a healthcare worker that were originally felt in childhood for a significant other
Countertransference
refers to unconscious feelings that the healthcare worker has toward the patient
Interpersonal therapy is most effective in treating
Grief & loss
Interpersonal disputes
Role transition
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Human beings are active participants in life, striving for self-actualization
When lowers needs are met, higher needs are able to emerge
Physiological needs
Safety
Belonging & love needs
Esteem needs
Self-actualization