Mental Health Journal of Nursing

Imaginary Audience / Personal Fable - Just a Phase or More?

Imaginary Audience / Personal Fable - Just a Phase or More?

Tags: adolescents development disorder mental health

Presents the question: Is the imaginary audience/ personal fable stage of development a hypothetical concept, a normal stage of development, a mental disorder, or a precursor of mental health disorders that may come in early adulthood?

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Clinical Depression vs. Layman's' Depression: What Nurses Need to Know

Clinical Depression vs. Layman's' Depression: What Nurses Need to Know

Tags: depression mental health symptoms

The general term depressed used by laymen doesn't match the medical definition used by Nursing. How to distinguish the two.

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The role of Sunlight, Vitamin D and nature in aiding cognition in mental health

The role of Sunlight, Vitamin D and nature in aiding cognition in mental health

Tags: mental health sunlight vitamin d

Studies have found that low levels of Vitamin D leads to slower information processing, cognitive decline, mood disorders, and altered brain development and functioning that leads to medical issues and neuro-degenerative disorders.(1) When the patients of yesteryear were kept inside we were unwittingly worsening their mental health. How can we now aid our mental and cognitive health by using sunlight and food based Vitamin D?

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Positive Psychology in psychiatric and mental health nursing practice

Positive Psychology in psychiatric and mental health nursing practice

Tags: emotions mental health Mental Illness Psychiatry psychology

Traditionally psychiatric practice has focused on treating mental illness and what is wrong with people. Treating the symptoms of mental illness can vastly improve quality of life and functioning but the absence of a mental illness does not guarantee a life of well-being or happiness. The billable codes of the DSM-5 are utilized to identify mental illness. It does not have a code or the listing of values for the symptoms or strengths in flourishing or a well meaning life. To combat this issue positive psychology and psychiatry has addressed this issue.

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Health and Wellbeing: A Student Nurse's Perspective

Health and Wellbeing: A Student Nurse's Perspective

Tags: assertiveness health mental health Nurse Education stress student nurse students undergraduate wellbeing

This essay discusses health and well-being as multifaceted concepts and explores how my health and wellbeing has been affected since becoming a student nurse. This essay also discusses the importance of maintaining good health and wellbeing in relation to self-care and patient care.

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Was “Winnie-the-Pooh” mentally ill? An Interesting Assignment to Learn about Mental Illness

Was “Winnie-the-Pooh” mentally ill? An Interesting Assignment to Learn about Mental Illness

Tags: mental health Mental Illness wellbeing wellness

When you assess and analyze some of our favorite childhood cartoon characters some of them display signs and symptoms of mental illness. This assignment engages students to learn about what defining characteristics to look for when assessing patients for mental disorders and just how subliminal messages especially those that are negative can be harmful to our well-being.

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When Doing The Right Thing Leads to the Wrong Results

When Doing The Right Thing Leads to the Wrong Results

Tags: Case Study errors medication medication errors mental health prescriptions punishment termination due to medication error

Reprimanding nurses for medication errors contibutes to a culture of evasion and silence and does not address the reason behind the mistake.

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A Competent Psychiatric Nurse: What role does empathy provide in competency?

A Competent Psychiatric Nurse: What role does empathy provide in competency?

Tags: caring caring in nursing Competency Empathy mental health Mental Illness Psychiatry

The fundamental foundation in initiating competent skills as a psychiatric nurse is similar to any specialty in nursing. We must implement the necessary processes of providing the standard of care by using the method known as the nursing process. To successfully implement these steps it is necessary to seek understanding of the clients’ individuality which takes effort, establishment of rapport, and time. Empathy is an essential factor to obtain accurate data, individualize interventions, and best outcomes addressing the clients’ uniqueness. As a psychiatric nurse one noted that empathy plays a significant role in providing competent care and optimizing positive outcomes for my acute mentally ill clients.

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Successful Aging For Canada's LGBT Older Adults

Successful Aging For Canada's LGBT Older Adults

Tags: aging caregiver discrimination gay health care professionals lesbian LGBT LGBTQ mental health nursing older adults transgender

A research paper I wrote for my BSN degree regarding how health care services, particularly nursing can accommodate older adult members of the LGBT community and provide safe and best practice care.

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Barriers to Patients Undergoing Methadone Maintenance Therapy

Barriers to Patients Undergoing Methadone Maintenance Therapy

Tags: addiction mental health methadone opiates therapy treatment treatment options

Methadone maintenance therapy is one method utilized to combat opioid addiction and is an effective treatment in the abstinence from opiates. The purpose of this article is to communicate comprehensive information to healthcare providers about methadone as a medication, and the treatment guidelines of maintenance programs in the hopes of diminishing the stigma attached to methadone maintenance therapy. Through a comprehensive literature review, information regarding mechanism of action, maintenance therapy program guidelines, different barriers to treatment, and how to overcome these barriers were collected and reviewed.

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Managing behavior in children with ASD

Managing behavior in children with ASD

Tags: ASD autism behavior behavioral child children medication mental health pediatric Psychiatry

Unfortunately, many of these children end up in the emergency department for these behaviors due to the lack of community mental health services. These crises visits often times result in unnecessary medications being prescribed for these problematic behaviors.

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Understanding and Treating Benzodiazepine Dependence; How you as a nurse can best assist the addicted patient

Understanding and Treating Benzodiazepine Dependence; How you as a nurse can best assist the addicted patient

Tags: addiction benzodiazepine emergency emergency room mental health treatment

This article provides information on the symptoms of benzodiazepine dependence, the neurophysiology behind the dependence and how the staff nurse can be part of the treatment involved.

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Understanding behaviors in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Understanding behaviors in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Tags: autism autism spectrum disorder behavior behaviors child children medication mental health pediatric Psychiatry

With the rising incidence of Autism Spectrum Disorders, nurses need to be educated regarding comorbidities that can cause aberrant behaviors. Along with a thorough medical assesment, finding mental health services can be challenging for many families. Many PCP's and other non-mental health professionals take on medication management of behaviors due to the lack of appropriate mental health resources.

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Mental Health Need Assessment Tool

Mental Health Need Assessment Tool

Tags: assessing mental health status mental health mental health need mental illness patient assessment patient assessment

Patient assessment is the first step in the nursing process. Assessing for mental illness is necessary in order to provide safe and competent care. Using a tool that incorporates Maslow's hierarchy of needs to assess if a patient feels that their needs are being met or not met is a good first step to begin assessing the mental health status of our patients.

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It Is Time to Openly Assess & Discuss Mental Illness

It Is Time to Openly Assess & Discuss Mental Illness

Tags: assessing mental health status discussions mental health mental health need mental illness patient assessment patient assessment

With the prevalence of mental illness on the rise, nurses in all healthcare settings are going to be tasked with providing care for patients with a mental disorder. Thus, it is necessary to provide nurses with the skills necessary to care for patients with mental illness.

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Effects of Music Therapy in Pediatric Mental Health

Effects of Music Therapy in Pediatric Mental Health

Tags: adolescents effects mental health music therapy pediatric pediatric mental health pediatrics therapy

Whether it is the simple melody of a lullaby to the crashing drums of rock and roll, music evokes an emotion in all of its listeners. Music has been around for centuries creating an environment of healing. When working with pediatric mental health patients, pharmacological interventions are often the solution to manage symptoms and negative feelings.

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