Mental Health and Wellness

This article discusses mental health and wellness, anxiety disorder, and ethical issues in nursing. It provides expert guidance and counseling for individuals experiencing mental health issues.

Running head: MENTAL HEALTH 1
Mental Health and Wellness
Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Institution Affiliation
Date

MENTAL HEALTH 2
Question one
(a) The most critical area for a nurse to consider is the situation where Chung began to
experience suicidal thoughts. Chung has been undergoing fleets of suicidal thoughts for the last
one week due to workplace stress and his family's disturbed situations that made him to feel
hopeless. The suicidal thoughts are the most urgent area because Chung who is the father of a
three weeks old baby has to take care of his baby Charlottes and his wife who developed
complications after the cesarean operation. Suicidal thoughts are very dangerous especially to
men who are less likely to share about their situations (Wolf, Delao, & Perhats, 2014).
(b) A close relationship with the client is a significant intervention a nurse should undertake.
The most immediate intervention to conduct as a community nurse is to provide an opportunity
for Chung to talk openly about the issues that seem to corrupt his mind. A nurse should
demonstrate the willingness and empathy to listen to Chung's concerns by meeting with him for
two hours and using positive language when dealing with him. It is important for the nurse to
give Chung appropriate counseling and guidance on the noted risk suicidal behaviors to help him
to overcomes the pressures, reactions and negative thoughts (Bolster, Holliday, Oneal & Shaw,
2015).
Question two
(a) One of the mental problems that are associated with Chung's situation is anxiety. Chung
reported an increase of anxiety for the past two months. His anxiety behavior is due to long
working hours, thoughts about his newborn Charlotte and his wife's health. Chung's anxiety
feelings are demonstrated through his sleeplessness experiences, slowed speech, flat and low in
his mood and sometimes tearful. Anxiety disorder is mostly experienced by men for they are

MENTAL HEALTH 3
tough, self- dependent and mostly hides the emotional situations, which makes them express less
concerning their circumstances (Peters et al, 2013).
(b) Anxiety disorder can be alleviated through the use of Cognitive behavioral therapy. A
nurse should provide physical care and change perception about the situation to enable the client
to feel relaxed. This physical care includes massage, foot bathing, hair washing and life talks.
Providing such physical comfort to Chung could help him release or talk of the complicated
feelings and offset thoughts that he might be hiding deep in his mind. These mind relaxation
activities together with encouraging the client to share and communicate his emotional issues
with his wife's parents and also to his seniors at the workplace could of much help to reduce
anxiety and the feeling of hopeless and loneliness (Betz et al, 2013).
Question three
One of the legal and ethical issue to consider when dealing with a client experiencing
anxiety and having suicidal thought like those Chung is Autonomy according to the NMBA
standards. Autonomy is necessary to allow a person to enrich the freedom to make decisions. It
helps the patient and the caregivers to evaluate a mutual care plan about treatment when
necessary especially where Chung feel that his situation cannot be solved through medication.
The other ethical issue is the client’s privacy and confidentiality. A nurse is expected to
act according to the professional law and privacy act and provide the required care while
maintaining the client's confidentiality through consultation before disclosure of any information.
Confidentiality is necessary when counseling Chung on the coping skills to reduce anxiety
(Videbeck & Videbeck, 2013).

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References
Betz, M. E., Sullivan, A. F., Manton, A. P., Espinola, J. A., Miller, I., Camargo Jr, C. A., ... &
ED‐SAFE Investigators. (2013). Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of emergency
department providers in the care of suicidal patients. Depression and anxiety, 30(10),
1005-1012.
Bolster, C., Holliday, C., Oneal, G., & Shaw, M. (2015). Suicide assessment and nurses: what
does the evidence show. Online journal of issues in nursing, 20(2).
Peters, L., Cant, R., Payne, S., O'Connor, M., McDermott, F., Hood, K., ... & Shimoinaba, K.
(2013). How death anxiety impacts nurses' caring for patients at the end of life: a review
of literature. The open nursing journal, 7, 14.
Videbeck, S., & Videbeck, S. (2013). Psychiatric-mental health nursing. Lippincott Williams
& Wilkins.
Wolf, L. A., Delao, A. M., & Perhats, C. (2014). Nothing changes, nobody cares: understanding
the experience of emergency nurses physically or verbally assaulted while providing care.
Journal of emergency nursing, 40(4), 305-310.