Analysis of a Case Study on Mental Health Nursing

This article provides an analysis of a case study on mental health nursing, including the patient's mental health status, stress vulnerability model, and interventions for recovery. The patient, Chung, is suffering from depression and stress due to personal and professional responsibilities. The article discusses the importance of respect, empowerment, and hope in the recovery process.

Running head: MENTAL HEALTH NURSING
ANALYSIS OF A CASE STUDY
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

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Answer 1
As mentioned in the clinical case study, Chung is suffering from changing mental health
conditions and this transition is hampering his positive thoughts and critical thinking (Cokley et
al., 2013). from the case study, it is evident that Chung is suffering from depression as his
professional and personal lives are making him feel alone and weak. due to his professional
engagements, he is unable to spend time with his newly born daughter and her wife as well as
sleep deprived working hours are pushing him to make errors, affecting his professional life as
well. If discussed critically, as per the mental health status examinations or MSE, there are two
domains of the assessment that is reflected prominently from the behavior of Chung, his thought
process and his speech and behavior (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).
As per American Psychiatric Association (2013), in MSE assessment, thought is judged
by three simple aspects, tempo, quality and form of thoughts however, it is not possible to infer
that without the help of the patient. The thought content of Chung starts from him being unable
to follow his tradition for his marriage, altered behavior of his wife Harriet’s parents. His
inability to spend time with his daughter and unwell wife to suicidal thoughts, and consumption
of high dose of critical medication were also the reason of his sorrow. On the other hand,
difference in his speech and behavior was noticed by me when I tried to find out the reason for
his quiet mood and restrictive nature. I observed his eyes were tearful, his speech was low and
purposeful and not spontaneous (Frith, 2014). His replies were depending on the thought process
and thought content. His behavior was also influenced by guilt as he was making eye contact
while talking. Moreover, if the mental health of Chung is assessed with the DSM-5 or the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, then the mental condition of Chung falls

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into the depressive, sleep-wake and food related disorders. This should also be mentioned that
Chung was also suffering from elimination disorder as he used to feel excluded and alone in his
own family (Whitcomb, 2013).
As per Cokley et al. (2013), these disorders identified by the MSE and DSM-5 are
important to determine the intensity, reactivity, and mobility of the thoughts and behavioral
attitudes of the patient. in this case study, the mental health was suffering from loneliness,
depression, low-self esteemed and confidence. In a research article by Frances (2013), it was
determined that people generally feel lonely and isolated when they do not receive the same
attention and importance from people they expect. Chung felt that Harriet’s parents were so busy
in taking care of his daughter that he was unable to spend time with her. Further, his ability of
being awake for 20-24 hours made him attempt an error due to which he had to suffer an enquiry
and observational practice for one year that affected his confidence. As per Krueger et al. (2012),
it is difficult for passionate people to accept their defeat and move ahead. Therefore, this was the
mental health condition
Answer 2
The stress vulnerability model is the study of the psychological theory that depends on
the life experiences of the person due to which, he develops vulnerability and stress (Drake,
Pillai & Rothm, 2014). The contributing factor or the predisposition of this situation can be
psychological, environmental, genetic or situational that forces people to think, act and behave in
a certain way (McEwen & Morrison, 2013). Further these vulnerabilities are increased due to
persisting stress that the situation or the environment puts of the person. In this given case study
of Chung, within several life events, two primary events that affected his mental health condition

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was, his inability to bring his parents in his wedding and his inability to spend enough time with
his daughter (Scharf & Schmidt, 2012).
Chung moved to Australia to work as a health professionals and unable to visit his
family, his parents, brother and sister because of his long working hours. His workplace, a busy
accident and emergency department of a hospital in Australia demands maximum determination
and devotion which stopped him from visiting his own country. Despite these, he was unable to
bring his family in Australia so that they can attend his and Harriet’s wedding because the travel
cost was higher and her mother’s health condition did not allowed her travel to Australia. This
event was responsible in affecting his identity as he felt that his traditions and cultures were not
followed in the wedding rituals as well as none of his family member was present in his
wedding. Further he also felt that he was unable to take part in planning and other important
functions of his own wedding due to his long working hours.
On the other hand, the second situation that affected Chung the most was his inability to
spend time with her. As Chung made mistakewhile medicating a patient, he was kept on
supervision practice that made him busy in his profession. Further, Harriet was also suffering
from surgical site infection due to which Harriet’s parents used to take care of their child.
However, Chung is unable to take of his child as Harriet’s parents are so much involved in the
care process. This was another factor that affected the mental health of the Chung as it affected
him emotionallyand the situation made him feel worthless. Due to these he also noticed a sharp
decrease in his health condition as well as made him affected with insomnia and early wakening.
It also mentioned that his professional and personal responsibilities and their overlapping made
him suffer from anxiety that ultimately affected his appetite, his weight. Further, due to the

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feeling of letting his family down, he also had the feeling of cardiac arrest. These two events
affected the self-esteemed and confidence of Chung as he was unable to balance his personal and
professionals life, which is important to provide stability to the life and therefore in the absence
of this, Chung developed his current mental health condition (Hruska & Delahanty, 2012).
Answer 3
As mentioned by Schrank et al. (2012), mental health is a condition, which can easily be
treated if the person is provided with respect, empowerment and hope in his care process.
Respect is one of these factors that focuses on the individual and his uniqueness so that their self-
esteem can be boosted. Corrigan, Druss and Perlick (2014) mentioned in the research article that
recovery is associated with regaining strength, hope and belief in the life and for that purpose,
the people around the patient need to be supportive and respectful to the decision and actions of
patient, as it will help them to understand their worth in life. The patient should be placed in an
environment where his actions will not be judged and he will not be blamed for any negative
event happening. This sensitive and respectful behavior will help him to overcome the emotional
and personal barriers (Naparstek, Biegel & Spiro, 2012). As in this case study, Chung has the
feeling that he has let his family down and is unable to provide them the time they deserve, the
family members should support him and provide him enough dignity and respect so that he can
overcome his guilt and spend time with them
Empowerment is also an important aspect as mentioned by the World Health
Organisation; empowerment is an important pillar for health promotion and development that
help people taking care of their own health in adverse conditions (Castro et al., 2016). Chung is
suffering from stress and depression that has evoked suicidal behavior in his thoughts. Being a

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clinician, he also has access to different life threatening drugs which he could take to end his life
(Wong & Laschinger, 2013). Therefore, empowerment is an important step in recovery from
mental health. For Chung, this empowerment will be provided by his family, his wife and his
colleagues, who will support him in his weakness and provide him with power so that he again
can gain in his life. His family should take part in this process so that he can develop a stronger
sense of belongingness to the family again (Castro et al., 2016).
In a research article by Schrank et al. (2012), the researchers used hope as one of the
alternative interventions for treating patients with mental health condition. In that article,
researchers mentioned that providing the patient with hope provides them positive energy that
helps them to withstand negativity and self-doubts. Further, being hopeful provides them with
confidence so that they can lead their own path to overcome depression, stress and sorrow
(Naparstek, Biegel & Spiro, 2012). In this case study of Chung, his depression, sorrow and stress
is associated with his family, his daughter and to some extent his professional life. In this
situation, Harriet and her parents should provide Chung with hope that he is able to take care of
his family and is able to balance his personal and professional life (Drapalski et al., 2012).
Therefore, in this way, respect, empowerment and hope can help Chung to overcome his mental
health condition.

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