Principles of Mental Health: Nursing Care for Altered Mental Status Patients

PRINCIPLES OF MENTAL HEALTH
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PRINCIPLES OF MENTAL HEALTH
student

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Table of Contents
Introduction...........................................................................................................................................2
Mental nursing health principles............................................................................................................3
1. Fundamental freedoms and basic rights.........................................................................................3
2. Protection of minors......................................................................................................................4
3. Determination of mental illness.....................................................................................................4
4. Confidentiality...............................................................................................................................5
5. Role of community and culture......................................................................................................5
6. Standards of care...........................................................................................................................6
7. Treatment.......................................................................................................................................6
8. Medication.....................................................................................................................................7
9. Consent to treatment......................................................................................................................7
10. Notice of rights............................................................................................................................9
11. Rights and conditions in mental health facilities..........................................................................9
12. Admission principles...................................................................................................................9
Conclusion...........................................................................................................................................10
References...........................................................................................................................................12

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Introduction
Altered mental status is usually encountered among patient in hospitals. It is basically
a change in emotional, intellectual, personality functioning, psychological, and typically
accompanied by changes in behavior, and in case of the hospitalized patients it is nearly acute
always (Xiao, et al.,, 2012). It is not an analysis but rather a collection of the variable, general
neurologic symptoms demanding a further description of the cause. It can be categorized
using three wide clinical areas: encephalopathic, psychiatric, or disease processes limited to
the intracranial substances. Psychiatric mental conditions that may lead to altered mental
status comprise schizophrenia and other mental illness, mania mainly due to the bipolar
disorders, harshly decompensated chief depression, and quick development of dementia
(Han, & Wilber, 2013). The Acute encephalopathy results in altered mental status due to the
comprehensive brain dysfunction causing from alterable complete metabolic or toxic courses.
An intracranial condition such as hemorrhage, stroke, or neoplasm may lead to the altered
mental condition due to their native or universal impacts on the brain. The diseased person
identified with altered mental status can be categorized as hypoactive or hyperactive (Xiao,
Wang et al., 2012). Appearances of the hyperactive condition may include improved
psychomotor action, labile mood, agitation, and behavioral instabilities. Hypoactive
alterations may include reduced psychomotor action, an altered level of awareness,
depressive affect, or drawing. A change in mental condition refers to common changes in the
function of the brain, such as amnesia, confusion, (), loss of attentiveness, disorientation and
faults in thought or judgment (Xiao et al., 2012). In this specific written assignment, the
principles of nursing that meet the requirement of people with the altered mental condition in
the hospital will be discussed.

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Mental nursing health principles
1. Basic rights and Fundamental freedoms of patient
1. All people have the basic right to get the finest obtainable mental health attention, which
should be included in the social and health care system.
2. All people with an altered mental status or other mental illnesses, or who under treatment
as such individuals, shall be cured with respect and humanity for the characteristic dignity of
the individual (Patel & Prince, 2010).
3. All individuals who are getting treated as such people should be protected from financial,
sexual, physical and other types of mistreatment, bodily or other exploitation, and humiliating
treatment.
4. The discrimination should not be there on the basis of psychological illness or others
factors. "Discrimination" is any difference, partiality and elimination that results in the
abolishing or causing harm to the equal fulfillment of rights (Mullen, 2009). Partiality does
not comprise any difference, and inclination undertaken in agreement with the requirements
of these Principles and essential to defend the civil rights of an individual with an altered
mental disorder or of other persons (Patel & Prince, 2010).
5. Every individual with altered mental disease should have the right to use all political,
public, financial, cultural, and social rights as documented in the Worldwide Statement of
social rights, the Global covenant on financial, Cultural and social rights, the Worldwide
covenant on public and governmental rights, and in other related instruments, like the
Statement on the rights of incapacitated or physically or mentally challenged persons and the
Principles Body for the Safety of All People under any type of custody or Caging (Stuart,
2014).