Mental Health Essay 2022

MENTAL HEALTH
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Mental health is at the core of an individual's health because this determines the
wellbeing of the individual. World Health Organization describes health as complete mental,
physical, and social welfare and not merely the absence of infirmity or disease. Mental health
promotion means the provision of an enabling environment that will support mental health and
improve the psychological wellbeing of an individual. This essay will discuss why mental health
and wellbeing of an individual must be addressed to ensure the quality of life and social
wellbeing. Anxiety disorders and depression are mental health problems, and this essay will
discuss why early detection of these mental illnesses is essential to promote a person's wellbeing
(Svalastog et al. 2017).
Quality of life and wellbeing of an individual is attainable when the spiritual dimension
and biopsychosocial aspects of their lives are adequately addressed. The biopsychosocial model
describes how biological, social, and psychological factors interact to affect an individual's
mental health (Wachholtz et al. 2016). Tim, who is a registered nurse working in a busy tertiary
general hospital, must his patients’ mental and health issues simultaneously for the wellbeing of
the patients' life. Psychological needs of a patient are related to the stress levels, lifestyle, and
personal characteristics of an individual. Patients are worried when they have physical illnesses,
and a nurse should address both the psychological and physical aspects of the sick individual.
Mental wellness is a state of wellbeing whereby an individual feels that they have the ability to
handle the normal stresses in life (Galderisi et al. 2015). Patients in hospitals need to be assured
by nurses that they are at a position to manage their physical illness. Tim, who is working in a
busy general hospital, needs to continually reassure his patients that they have the mental
strength to cope with stresses of their physical illness. Spiritual wellness is a social need of a
patient, and this need has to be addressed adequately for the patients to feel cared wholesomely.

Mental and physical illnesses bring spiritual distress to the patient, and therefore it is the mandate
of the nurses to address these spiritual needs. Tim, as a registered nurse in Western Australia,
needs to connect to his patients and understand their spiritual needs therapeutically. A good
therapeutic relationship between patients and nurses gives the patients a sense of care, and they
can tell the nurses what their needs are. Recent research has shown that patients who feel that
their spiritual needs are adequately addressed heal faster compared to patients whose needs are
foregone. Patients continuously need to feel loved and wanted while in the hospitals, and it is the
nurses' mandate and responsibility to make sure that this needs of a patient are achieved. Tim has
to reassure his patients that despite their physical and mental health issues, they are still human
beings who deserve love and care (Memaryan et al. 2015).
Patients with multiple co-existing diseases have two or more conditions affecting their
mental and physical health at the same time. General hospitals and health care system has to
address the co-morbidities simultaneously for the wellbeing of these patients under their care
(Navickas et al. 2016). Many patients diagnosed with chronic physical illnesses such as diabetes
mellitus type 2 or hypertension tend to develop mental illnesses such as depression. Chronic
diseases last for an extended period, and patients need to be adequately counseled on how to
cope with these illnesses. General hospitals need to have strategies on how to deal with such
patients and ensure that they are holistically taken care of in hospitals. Nurses working in public
hospitals should possess exceptional abilities such as empathy and excellent communication
skills to interact with patients and elicit the needs of the patient. Australian Burden of Disease
study takes data from chronic disease monitoring centers and gives objective recommendations.
Australian health care system advocates that patients should with chronic diseases be educated
on what the illness they have and its effects (Moon et al. 2019). Educated patients cope well and