Care for Patients with Mental Health Problems

Pooja Kasturkar

Published on: 2021-12-06

Abstract

A nurse's job is to provide comprehensive care, which may involve dealing with a patient's mental health. Although not all registered nurses are trained in psychiatric nursing, they are still responsible for providing care to mentally ill patients and assisting them in obtaining treatment for psychological discomfort.

Mental Illness Noticed By Nurses

Nurses may notice a variety of mental diseases in their patients

  • A wide variety of disorders fall under the umbrella of mental illness, and these range from mild to
  • People with mental illness suffer from disturbances in their thoughts and behavior, which may affect their ability to cope with ordinary life situations and
  • Mental illness can be caused by traumatic experiences that involve abuse, neglect or violence.
  • Other factors may include genetic predisposition, biochemical imbalances or excessive stress brought on by debilitating medical
  • Nurses may come in contact with patients who have these mental illnesses
    • Bipolar
    • Eating
    • Major
    • Obsessive-compulsive
    • Panic
    • Personality
    •  
    • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Rate of mental illness

  • Mental ill-health represents a large part of the disease burden of non-communicable
  • According to the World Health Organization (WHO) more than 450 million people worldwide are suffering from mental, neurological, or psychosocial disorders, and this number is constantly
  • In Europe, neuropsychiatric disorders rank as the leading cause of years lived with disability, and account for 1% of all causes of ten leading causes of disability, mental disorders represented four.
  • A total of 12% of the global burden of disease is due to mental and behavioral disorders, and more than 70% of this burden lies in low- and middle-income

United State

  • According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), approximately one in five adults experience some type of mental illness each year, which translates to 8 million people or 18.5 percent of the population.
  • Additionally, approximately one in 25 adults lives with serious mental illness, which converts to 10 million people or 4.2 percent of the population. This kind of mental illness interferes with or limits the person’s ability to function in everyday

India

  • WHO also estimates that about 5 per cent Indians suffer from some mental disorder and predicts that by end of this year roughly 20 per cent of India will suffer from mental illnesses.
  • According to the numbers, 56 million Indians suffer from depression and another 38 million Indians suffer from anxiety disorders.

Why Should Nurses Dig Deeper To Uncover Reasons For Mental Instability?

  • Patients with mental health issues are often seen as
  • Nurses should not judge a patient because of the patient’s behavior; instead, they need to provide care in a respectful
  • Sometimes trauma and chronic health conditions can trigger depression or
  • In some cases, diseases or medications are the reasons for the appearance of mental

For example, patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease, thyroid disorders or side effects from beta blockers can have symptoms that mimic depression. Stress can activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which controls mood and emotions, and it regulates bodily functions such as digestion, the immune system and energy expenditure.

How Can Nurses Become Advocates For Patients With Mental Illness?

  • Because nurses work directly with patients, they are the best source of information for implementing a system to care for the physically and mentally
  • They can advocate and influence the development of new policies for more funding so patients have access to affordable, ongoing care that provides them with the therapy and medications they need to manage and live with mental
  • Nurses have a great impact on the attitude of patients. If they show compassion while delivering quality care, they can help improve the chances of a successful patient
  • The nursing practice focuses on supporting the overall well-being of patients and that includes their mental
  • Nurses should continue their education to learn more about identifying mental illness in patients and how to help them get the psychiatric care they
  • With assistance and empathy from nurses, patients can overcome the stigma associated with mental

What Are Some Ways Nurses Can Help Mentally Ill Patients?

  • Nurses are prepared to deliver patient
  • They may decide to specialize in a field of medicine like pediatrics, geriatrics or
  • Regardless of their specialty, nurses may deal with patients who are either showing signs of or are at risk of developing mental
  • Patients with mental illness can display a wide range of symptoms, including despondency, aggression or Nurses have to be aware that an unsociable, sullen or troublesome patient may be exhibiting signs of mental illness.
  • A patient with mental illness may require nurses to adopt the following strategy:
  • Assess a patient’s mental
    • Establish good communication with the
    • Build a relationship with the
    • Use language that shows
    • Provide sensitive patient-centered care.

 

  • Consult with knowledgeable mental health
  • Refer a patient to community

References

  1. The World Health report 2001: mental health: new understanding, new hope. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2001.
  2. WHO/Europe: mental health-data and statistics. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2017.
  3. Tomlinson Global mental health: a sustainable post Millennium development goal? Int Health. 2013; 5(1):1-3.
  4. How to Care for Patients with Mental Health Published On: April 4, 2017. https://degree.astate.edu/articles/nursing/caring-for-mental-health-patients.aspx