Mental Health Nursing: Lived Experience, Recovery Principles, and Service Delivery

This article discusses the concept of lived experience on mental health and illness, the six principles of recovery, and the impact of lived experience on service delivery in mental health nursing. It covers the challenges faced by people with mental illness, the requirements for recovery, and the policies and practices of recovery-oriented mental health services.

Running head: MENTAL HEALTH NURSING 1
Mental Health Nursing
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Mental health and illness
Recovery from mental disorder or illness requires more efforts than the treatment and
medication offered by the medical professionals. Recovery encompasses wholesome efforts
applied by the individual, medical practitioners and the community support (Slade et al., 2015).
In order to effectively conduct recovery-oriented mental health practices, medical practitioners
had to learn from people how have experienced life in mental illness. The knowledge gained is
necessary and relevant to understanding the effective methods of dealing with clients (Nolen &
Rector, 2015). Mental illness refers to a disease which alters the brain functionality causing a
significant effect on thinking capacity, behaviour, personal control and interacting socially.
Mental health is a state of the mind being well and fit to make decisions, think properly, having
feeling and emotions (Rogers & Pilgrim, 2014). The scope of this discussion will cover the
concept of lived experience on mental health and illness. Secondly, it will cover the six
principles of recovery and the means of personal recovery. Thirdly, explain how the lived
experience have impact change in the service delivery. Finally, the discussion will offer an
outline of the main ideas as depicted from the framework of recovery on mental health.
The concept of lived experience on mental illness is highly valued today by medical
professionals. This knowledge is valued since it opens the minds of medical practitioners on how
to effectively manage and cure mental illness. Medical professional access such information
through living with mental illness or listening to testimonies of individuals who have
experienced the same (Shea, 2016). People with mental health experience a lot of challenges in
their daily life. In fact, lacking self-realization is one of their greatest problem since they
experience inability in coop with routine activities. Consequently, they never enjoy as decent
meal since preparing it is a challenge, maintaining personal hygiene as well as the environment is

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also hard for them. Poor hygienic conditions is a source of infections which may result in other
diseases apart from the mental illness. Their financial power is limited and some of them opt in
depend on begging for money on the streets. Begging would result in earn fewer coins which are
hardly enough to cater for their basic needs, this make them to scrounge through dustbins. Some
individuals survive on leftovers as source of food which poses a danger of suffering from
foodborne diseases (Koslowski, 2016).
A person living with mental illness experiences a high level of stigma and discrimination.
This makes it even difficult to engage in education as their colleagues shun away from them. In
line with that, engagement in employment is also a challenge, rendering them to lack a purpose
in life. The community around them view them as incapable of doing anything, thus judging
them as not productive (Einarsen & Nielsen, 2015). Lack of proper employment results in
idleness, making them to degenerate into drugs and substances abuse. Addiction then follows
after continuous usage of drugs especially cigarette and alcohol (Halter, 2017).
Isolation and loneliness is another dominant challenge faced by people with mental
illness. Persons with mental illness feel as if the society has set them aside. The community
discriminate them which in turn lowers the self-confidence of such individuals. After they lose
their self-esteem, such individuals lose hope and the meaning of life. In some instances, other
individuals prefer committing suicide as they feel worthless and it's as if they are not wanted in
the society (Perry & Pescosolido, 2015).
Recovery is a personal journey of hope on re-discover and realization of oneself. Self-
determination, understanding your capability and gaining a positive view of life are some of the
requirements for recovery (Jeffs & Leggatt, 2014). The principles established for recovery-
oriented mental health practices serve as the guideline for medical health practitioner. This will

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enable service delivery in an effective manner that supports full recover to people with mental
health issues. The six recovery principles currently known include; individual uniqueness,
respect and dignity, personal attitude and human right, settled choice, recovery evaluation and
finally partnership and proper communication (Shepherd, 2010).
People are diverse and each person with mental illness has a unique experience. Since
these experience are divers, recovery-oriented practices should understand the world of their
patients. It is through learning from live experience of others that has enabled medical
practitioners to recognize the uniqueness of an individuals. Recovery process is not only
supposed to cure but also concerns providing opportunities for alternatives. The choices made
will aid in living a meaningful life, one which adds value to the community. During decision
making on the lifestyle aspects, people with the mental health defects need support and
empowerment to acknowledge the available choices. The medial professionals should therefore
be aware of the relevance of such support need. This will aid in enhancing their treatment
practices on recovery of the mentally ill. As a result strengthening them in taking responsibility
of their lives and take positive risks so as to exploit new opportunities (Townsend & Morgan,
2017).
Recovery-oriented mental health practices involve impacting a positive attitude through
listening and responding to what is important to them. Since people are different, nurses need to
interact freely with the clients thus making them overcome the feeling of loneliness. The
interaction will help in installing hope to an individual mind that some care and there is a
possibility of a good future. It is through such interactions that practitioners can protect the rights
of the sick individual and also secure the individual's citizenship. The medical practitioners can
enhance their bonding with the mentally ill through involving them in recreational activities such

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as sports and festivals. In doing so, the mentally ill will feel like they do belong somewhere and
this will help them to develop as well as keep up a social network. Recovery practice plays a
major role in restoring dignity and respect to people suffering from mental health. Nurses should
exhibit courtesy and politeness as well as creating sincere and respectful communication while
interacting their clients. This reduces stigma and discrimination among the service providers
while making the individuals develop self-confidence (Mårtensson, 2014).
The mental health practitioners should create a partnership between them and individual
suffering from mental illness. In so doing, the service provider will have an easy time to provide
support in the most comfortable way to them. Since an individual knows himself better, frequent
sharing of information, will make the nurses to understand the perfectly. Upon learning their
behaviour and wants, the medical practitioner will have additional knowledge on how to boost
the recovery journey. In addition, it will facilitate working in realistic and achievable ways
toward helping the individuals in restoring the lost identify. Evaluation is very key in recovery
oriented practices. The metal practitioner should constantly monitor and record the progress on
each stage of recovery. The partnership created will also simplify the evaluation process (Slade
& Longden, 2015).
The document of Recovery-oriented practices of mental health services provides vital
policies. The national framework team has combined a number of recovery-oriented approaches
to improve mental health and service delivery in Australia. The approaches have appreciated the
importance of lived experience in formulation of recovery oriented practices. The document has
elaborated a number of practices which are important to recovery. Such practices include
applying sets of capabilities that enable people to take responsibility for their actions. This is
achieved through setting goals, having ambitions and maturing their desires. Recovery-oriented

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service delivery focuses on the needs and aspirations of the individuals and provides of
psychosocial support needed for recovery and rehabilitation. The practices of recovery and
service delivery emphasize on providing options and self-determination. It also requires ensuring
safety and protection of the client's human right (Council, A. H. M. A. 2013).
The framework also focuses on recovery across the mental health service spectrum. This
provides an interactive relationship that exists between recovery-oriented practices and service
delivery to facilitate rehabilitation. The government, private sectors, and non-government
agencies have a role in recovery within the broader context. This institution enhances
maximization of people's quality life, through providing necessities such as housing, jobs,
training and psychological support. The framework consists of capabilities which reflects the
core principle, values knowledge and skill, attitudes and their behaviour. There are also domains
normally associated with these capabilities that ease the provision of support to the mentally ill.
Thus, giving meaning as well as a contribution of life to their chosen community. The
framework encourages the community to have a diversity in mind in order to curb the various
emotional problems. Such problems arise from discrimination derived from race, ethnicity,
culture and tradition or even gender oriented (Council, A. H. M. A. 2013).
In conclusion, recovery from mental illness is a process which needs the expertise of
medical professionals, persons with lived experience, support from the community and the
individual person. Recovery consists of wide range of meanings. However, it is perceived as
personal and unique to each person since he will undergo a different path to recovery. This is
because each person with mental illness experiences different circumstances in arrange of
situations. Therefore, it is necessary for medical professionals to take advantage of the available

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information offered by people with lived experience. This will make them understand these
differences and make an effort to work closely with their clients in order to achieve full recovery.
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