Mental Health Nursing

Running head: MENTAL HEALTH NURSING 1
Mental Health Nursing
Name
Institution

MENTAL HEALTH NURSING 2
Mental Health
Reporting
This article is about the treatment of insane individuals who the court intends to send to an
asylum. One patient, in particular, is Mrs. Duvall who is accused of killing a former chief of
police. There are three other individuals also to be sent to the asylum. They include William
Winters who is said to be only partially unbalanced, John Neimi, and Andrew Svensrud. It is
believed that the right kind of medication can help the three individuals to get back to their
normal selves and have a restoration of mental health. From the article, I could identify two
issues with the handling of the insane patients from the hearings in the court to the arrangements
to transfer them to the asylum in Oregon.
One of the key issues highlighted in the article is involuntary treatment. There are situations
when a patient can be hospitalized legally without their consent if the mental health practitioners
ascertain that he is very sick. This is manifested in the article when the four insane patients are
sent to Oregon asylum to receive treatment. I believe that involuntary treatment, in this case, is
justified by the fact that these patients have a mental illness and they need care. They, however,
cannot make such decisions on their own. According to Evans, Nizette, Brien, Johnson, & Rmn
(2017), one can be hospitalized without their consent if they are judged to have a mental illness,
need treatment, and cannot make the decision on their own (p. 79). Additionally, an individual
who is considered to be a danger to their safety or the safety of others is also put under
involuntary treatment (Mental Health Act, 2016).
Another issue that I identified in this article was multi-disciplinary teams. The team is made up
of a deputy marshal, a matron, and several guards. I believe that a psychiatrist will also be

MENTAL HEALTH NURSING 3
available to help the patients with recovery at the asylum in Oregon. Professionals from different
disciplines are required in mental health nursing to adequately cater for the needs of the mentally
ill (Momsen, Rasmussen, Nielsen, Iversen & Lund, 2012, p. 903). A team made up of
professionals coming from different disciplines is important in designing a comprehensive care
plan for patients with different mental health conditions.
Responding
My beliefs, opinions, and attitudes about mental health illness have been shaped by my
knowledge of mental illness. I have interacted with people who have lived with mental health
conditions and who have faced cultural stereotypes due to their conditions. I believe that
different cultures have different ways of understanding and interpreting mental illness. Studies
reveal that people have different perceptions regarding mental illness thus affecting their demand
for care (Wei, McGrath, Hayden & Kutcher, 2015, p. 291). Gender also plays an important role
in mental illness. From my previous interaction with mentally ill patients, I noticed that the
female patients were less likely to experience societal rejection when compared to their male
counterparts. The media is also constantly creating awareness regarding mental illness thus
making the public to believe that this problem exists and should be addressed (Livingston,
Tugwell, Korf-Uzan, Cianfrone & Coniglio, 2013, p. 970).
Relating
The media has massively affected my perception of mental illness. Very many individuals
globally are exposed to media representations thus making mass media a very significant
influence within the society (McGinty et al., 2016, p. 1127). I can confirm that the media has
both positively and negatively shaped my understanding and view of mental illness. I, however,