Recovery-Oriented Mental Health Nursing

Running Head: RECOVERY-ORIENTED MENTAL HEALTH NURSING
RECOVERY-ORIENTED MENTAL HEALTH NURSING INTERVENTION

RECOVERY-ORIENTED MENTAL HEALTH NURSING
Background & Introduction
The domain of mental health nursing is very demanding however a rewarding choice as a
career. Mental health nursing includes a specialized nursing field that focuses on working with
consumers in order to work with recovery goals (ACMHN, 2017). The domain of mental health
nursing takes into consideration the person's psychological, social, physical and spiritual needs.
In the context of a person's lived experience along with a partnering with their family, significant
others and the broader community. The focus of mental health nurse's is to provide support to
consumer and their families at the time of crisis and also during the transition period.
Mental health nurses liaison with a range of health care providers, by providing education
for maintenance and restoration, coordination and in providing talking therapy. The domain of
mental health nurses also strives through a full range of clinical and service settings across varied
areas to provide a significant role in the health care system (Happell & Gaskin, 2013). Therefore,
mental health nurses need to possess skills, qualifications, along with experience such as to
provide high-quality mental health nursing in all context. They also need to be flexible and
responsive such that they are able to work with people across varied workplace settings and
lifespan. In the current scope of discussion includes evidence-based mental health nursing care
for George in a recovery-oriented framework, while receiving treatment on the inpatient unit and
strategies to reduce the incidence of relapse in the future.
In the current mental health nursing care based upon evidence for George within
recovery-oriented framework in receiving treatment on the inpatient unit has been undertaken.
George is a 27-year-old single male, diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and history of
sexual abuse. George has currently lost his unemployment and has received the Disability
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RECOVERY-ORIENTED MENTAL HEALTH NURSING
Support Pension (Reed, 2009). He resides with his brother, his brother has been supportive of
him. He has been a compulsory patient in the Victorian Mental Health Act (2014). He had
recently depicted symptoms and is now in the hospital. The current scope of healthcare
management provided to him includes the usage of an antipsychotic agent, a mood stabilizer and
Electro-Convulsive Therapy (ECT).
Discussion
In the Victorian Mental Health Act 2014 places individuals with mental illness at the
center focus of decision making related to their treatment and care. The Mental Health Act
provides encouragement to nurses such that strong relationship with people can be developed
while providing them with information and support such that informed decisions can be made
(Guise, Chambers & Välimäki, 2012). This Act includes voluntary treatment as against
compulsory treatment to be able to establish robust safeguard and autonomy of people with
mental illness. It is the duty of nurse’s to be able to administer holistic care to be able to address
the patient’s mental state. Nurses have the responsibility to provide care to the mentally ill patient
and nurses need to be aware regarding the unsociable and troublesome signs that the patient
might be exhibiting. The focus of the Mental Health Act 2014 is to provide supported decision
making through the evidence-based framework and encouraging strong communication between
consumers, their families, and health practitioner (De Hert et al, 2011). It enables people
receiving mental treatment to participate in treatment decisions and to provide their views and
preferences.
Nursing assessment of a person with schizoaffective disorder and history of sexual abuse
is a complex procedure and entails the collection of data from varied sources. However, in acute
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RECOVERY-ORIENTED MENTAL HEALTH NURSING
cases as in the case of George reliable information is not easily obtainable. Nurse's in order to
provide care to George needs to adhere to steps and follow guidelines to reduce the incidence of
relapse of his symptoms again in the future (Storm & Edwards, 2013). These steps will allow
psychopathology and pharmacological and other interventions strategies.
Nursing Management
During the first stage, a nurse needs to assess the mental state of the patient. As George's
mental state is well known, the mental health nurse needs to review all aspects of treatment and
past history that the patient has faced in the past. Nurses need to go into depth to uncover reasons
for mental instability as patients with mental health are often seen to be difficult and non-
manageable (Cunningham, 2009). Significant people from George’s family, his brother and
clinical records will need to be verified along with a mental examination. The nurse will not
judge the patient due to the patient's behavior, as they need to provide care in a respectable
manner. Any trauma and chronic health conditions to George can trigger depression or anxiety.
Medication can trigger the appearance of mental distress. Undertaking a (Mental Status
Examination) MSE will enable identifying current symptomology, comprising of hallucination,
negative symptomology and hallucinations (Slade et al, 2014).
The second stage the nurse needs to establish good communication with the patient. The
nurse will need to establish good communication with the patient. As George has recently lost his
employment and has been having been admitted into the healthcare center due to his symptoms
arising again, a communicative framework needs to be established with him to understand
whether he is comfortable with the treatment that is rendered to him. Nurses have the
responsibility to provide care to the mentally ill patient and nurses need to be aware regarding the
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