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Challenges in Mental Health Nursing

   

Added on  2020-03-16

13 Pages3201 Words79 Views
Running head: MENTAL HEALTH NURSINGMENTAL HEALTH NURSINGName of the StudentName of the universityAuthor’s note

1MENTAL HEALTH NURSINGIntroductionMental health nursing is challenging work that involves supporting a person’s recoveryand enabling them to have control over their life. This essay focuses on my role as a mentalhealth nurse in treating a 15 year old boy who had been suffering from acute depression andanxiety. Adam lives with his parents and his sister. He loves riding bikes and mountain racing.He adores his pet cat Roger and always cares for her. He was not addicted to any drugs oralcohol. Adam is very much attached to his grandmother. He considers his sister to be the onlyone who understands Adam. Adam dreams of becoming a pilot or a professional mountain bikerider. It should be mentioned beforehand that Adam had been a victim of child sexual abuse byhis uncle. On discovering his misdeeds, his uncle was handed over to the cops. It was reportedthat the sexual abuse took place with Adam for almost 9 months. Recently on hearing the newsof his uncle’s release from the jail, Adam has again re-entered in to depression and has oftenattempted suicides. The whole essay is based on the recovery plan for Adam. This essay provideswith a mental health assessment of Adam which focuses on the predisposing, perpetuating,precipitating and the protecting factors for this ailment. The later portion of the essay also throws light upon the different nursing interventions for theself management of the disease. The report also discusses bout the use of the dialectical therapiesin combination with the antipsychotics to treat the disorder. MENTAL STATE ASSESSMENT OF JUSTINBackground: Adam was a 15 years old teenager, who had been suffering from borderlinepersonality disorder. Adam stayed with his family. He was sexually abused by his uncle, whenhe was only 5 years old. Adam has been receiving treatments for depression since he was 10

2MENTAL HEALTH NURSINGyears old. He had been received extensive counseling and anti depressant medications since hewas 6 years old. Twice he was admitted to the local mental health facility due to his suicidaltendency. On hearing the news of his uncle’s release he has again entered a depressive phase. Hehad started skipping meals, stopped riding bikes, and stopped attending school.Appearance: Adam was tall and slim for his age, Caucasian with blue eyes and blonde hair. Hehad dark circles and his hair appeared unorganized. He was in green gym shorts, t-shirt andjoggers. Behavior: was avoiding eye contact. He was clasping his hands during the interview, lookingdown at the floor.Mood and affect: Adam was quiet and sullen throughout the interview. He was responding tothe question with just a ‘yes’ or ‘no’.Speech: Adamtalked slowly and almost in whispers.Cognition: Cognition is alright, except he often feels worn out and suicidal.Thoughts: Anxious, suicidal feeling, always feels depressed and tired. Perception: Considers himself to be responsible for all the problems in the family, including thedisturbances in his parent’s marriage. He feels he is a failure and therefore should end his life.Insight and judgment: He denies thoughts of suicide but when asked about thoughts of self-harm he admits “yeah”. He expresses feeling guilty about all the troubles and holds himselfresponsible.Clinical formulation:

3MENTAL HEALTH NURSINGThe above mental assessment had provided us with the information regarding thepsychological condition of Adam. From the signs shown by Adam, it is evident that he mighthave been suffering from post traumatic disorder after the sexual abuse. A person’s experiencesin childhood help to shape up the health and well being of a person throughout the life. Childsexual abuse can leave permanent scars on the brain of children that can have long term effectsin future. It becomes very difficult for the victims to forget the pain and the trauma of theincident throughout his life. The small things can trigger intense reaction in them; they feelconfused and unclear about their life. Acute depression and anxiety can lead them to suicides. InAdam’s case we can relate all the symptoms of a post trauma (Crowe, Carlyle & Farmar, 2008). In Adam’s case, the presenting problem was that he was suffering from acute anxiety anddepression and often thought of finishing himself. He had lost the appetite to attend school toperuse his dreams. He had also ceased practicing his favorite hobby. The news of release of hisuncle who was in jail for few years in charge of child sexual abuse, is the precipitating factor. Itwas reported that Adam’s mother regularly felt guilty over the CSA. Adam’s parents were alsosuffering from problems in their marital life, although they were still together. Adam alwaysfound himself guilty of everything that has happened in the family, which can be considered asthe perpetuating factors (Crowe, Carlyle & Farmar, 2008).The protecting factors that would help Adam to come back to the normal pace of life are- hisadherence to the therapeutics, sharing of the grievances to his parents, spending more time withhis loved ones, be it his sister or his grandmother or his beloved cat. Adam should keep himselfbusy with constructive duties (Crowe, Carlyle & Farmar, 2008). He should strive in his dreamsof becoming a pilot or a professional mountain bike rider.

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