Mental Health Nursing Report: Definitions, Use of Self, and Analysis

This report provides a comprehensive overview of key concepts in mental health nursing. It begins by defining essential terms such as affect, mood, euthymic, delusion, and hallucination, providing clear explanations and examples for each. The report then delves into the therapeutic use of self, emphasizing its importance in establishing trusting relationships between nurses and patients, particularly within the field of mental health. It highlights how the therapeutic use of self enhances patient outcomes, facilitates effective communication, and promotes quality healthcare delivery. The report references several studies to support the significance of the therapeutic relationship and its impact on patient satisfaction, safety, and recovery. The report underscores the importance of self-awareness, empathy, and ethical considerations for nurses to effectively utilize their personal characteristics to optimize patient experiences and outcomes.

Running head: MENTAL HEALTH NURSING 1
Mental Health Nursing
Name
Institutional Affiliation

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Definition of Terms
a. Affect:
Affect refers to a neuropsychological state of simple primitively and a feeling of lack
of reflection that is demonstrated through emotion and mood but always occurs in
consciousness. Some examples of affect include relaxation and tension, displeasure and
pleasure, and tiredness and energy (Ekkekakis, 2012). Tyng, Amin, Saad and Malik (2017)
cited that affect are subjective emotional feelings that are experienced by individuals and are
difficult to describe. They are associated with the bodily states such as external stimuli such
as smell, touch, state, visual and auditory, and homeostatic drives such as hunger and thirst
(Tyng et al. 2017).
b. Mood:
Mood refers to affective states triggered by negative or positive occurrences that alter
a person’s abilities to respond to potentially positive or negative events in subsequent periods
and contexts. It is an integrative function triggered by the acute emotional experiences of an
individual over time (Nettle& Bateson, 2012). The mood is the correct designation of
affective states about the worlds in general or nothing in specific. A mood is generally remote
and does not follow particular stimuli, and it lasts longer than emotions. Also, moods are
diffuse, meaning that they are non-specific and global (Ekkekakis, 2012).
c. Euthymic:
A euthymic individual demonstrates lack of mood disturbances that are diagnosable.
In case they experience anxiety, sadness, or irritable moods, they tend to last for a short time,
triggered by specific situations and have little impact on the daily life of the individual. Also,
the individual experiences calmness, cheerfulness activeness, and interest in things. Sleep is a
restorative and refreshing activity for euthymic individuals. Further, euthymic individuals

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demonstrate integration, balance, and flexibility to psychic forces and resistance stress.
Euthymic individuals are tolerant of frustration, anxiety, and resilience (Fava & Bech, 2016).
d. Delusion:
Delusion is a false belief based on wrong inference regarding the external reality
whereby its explanation conflict with evidence (Kumari, Chaudhury, & Kumar, 2013). They
are firm thoughts that lack conformity with the visible reality, cannot be explained by the
individual’s cultural structure, and are persistent despite being proven wrong (Kilicaslan,
Acar, Eksioglu, Kesebir & Tezcan, 2016). Gunn and Bortolotti (2018) confirmed that
delusions are the unusual beliefs that an individual holds with conviction and resists counter-
evidence, but a third party views them as implausible. The beliefs lack supporting evidence
and are inconsistent with the beliefs of the third party.
Hallucination:
Hallucinations refer to precepts that lack corresponding external stimuli (Corlett et al.,
2018). Hallucinations are incomprehensible experiences that are described or interpreted by a
person and are characterized by accompanying feelings vividness, certainty, and urgency.
Hallucinations may be characterized by changes to multiple reams of an individual’s personal
and environmental experiences that are based on the cultural, social, and personal influences
(Kumari et al., 2013). Hallucinations may be a sign of various serious mental illnesses such
as ad post-traumatic stress and schizophrenia (Corlett et al., 2018)
Task 2: Therapeutic Use of Self
The concept of therapeutic use of self refers to a planned utilization of practitioner
interpersonal skills, insights, judgement and perception in the therapeutic process. It refers to
the deliberate use of individual responses to optimize therapeutic encounters (Solman &
Clouston, 2016). Thus, therapeutic use of self can be described as the conscious attempts
aimed at maximizing the interactions between the therapists and clients.

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Therapeutic use of self refers to the practice of nurses using their personal characteristics as
a tool for optimizing the patient experiences and outcomes. The concept involves practices
such as interpersonal communication, general conversations with patients and vbeing
available (McAllister, Robert, Tsianakas, & McCrae, 2019). For a nurse to practice effective
therapeutic use of self, they need to possess interpersonal attributes such as self-knowledge,
self-awareness, attention to ethics, empathy, and limits and boundaries that guide the
professional role. They also need to practice effective communication techniques such as
active listening, restating, clarifying, reflecting, use of open-ended questions, validating and
maintaining cognizance with the personal values and client values and beliefs (Jones 2012).
Barba, Stump and Fitzsimmons (2014) explained that therapeutic use of self is preceeded by
the establishment of trusting relationships between the caregiver and the patient.
Therapeutic use of self is essential in the clinical profession particularly in the field
of mental health. Solman and Clouston (2016) asserted the significance of the therapeutic
use of self in enhancing the outcome of clients in the context of the healthcare. Therapeutic
use of self is as critical tool for enhancing patients’ and nurses’ experiences (McAllister et
al., 2019). Using personal characteristics helps to establish a therapeutic relationship with
the patient (Jones 2012. Knight, 2012). Effective interactions between the mental health
nurses and patients are essential tit facilitate storytelling and sharing of experiences.
According to Morck (2016) nurses particularly in the field of mental health often deal with
situations that trigger the emotions of the patients and themselves. In such sceneries, a
therapeutic relationship is essential. Therapeutic relationships between nurses and patients
help to promote satisfaction, safety and quality of healthcare delivery. Therapeutic use of
self helps the nurses to journey with their patients and enhance interconnectedness,
commitment and appreciation of both parties. Consequently, it hastens the realization of
recovery and quality healthcare.

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Morck (2016) confirmed that therapeutic use of self is critical in the establishment of
therapeutic relationships between the nurse and patients. Consequently, the therapeutic
relationships are a basis of care, continuity and recovery, which is achieved through
effective listening, and commitment. Barba et al. (2014) established that therapeutic use of
self helps to establish rapport with the patient. Nurses are able to have similar values and
goals regarding treatment, and to relate effectively with each other. Further, they are able to
build a trusting relationship. Generally, the effectiveness of therapeutic use of self in mental
health nursing cannot be ignored.

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References
Barba, B., Stump, M., & Fitzsimmons, S. (2014). The Role of Therapeutic Use of Self in the
Application of Non Pharmacological Interventions. Journal of Gerontological
Nursing. doi: 10.3928/00989134-20140609-02
Corlett, P. R., Horga, G., Fletcher, P. C., Alderson-Day, B., Schmack, K., & Powers III, A.
R. (2018). Hallucinations and strong priors. Trends in cognitive sciences. doi:
10.1016/j.tics.2018.12.001
Ekkekakis, P. (2012). Affect, mood, and emotion. Measurement in sport and exercise
psychology, 321. https://ekkekaki.public.iastate.edu/pdfs/ekkekakis_2012.pdf
Fava, G. A., & Bech, P. (2016). The concept of euthymia. Psychotherapy and
Psychosomatics, 85(1), 1-5. doi;10.1159/000441244
Gunn, R., & Bortolotti, L. (2018). Can delusions play a protective role?. Phenomenology
and the Cognitive Sciences, 17(4), 813-833.
Jones, K. A. (2012). Developing the therapeutic use of self in the health care professional
through autoethnography: Working with the borderline personality disorder
population. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 11(5), 573-584.
Kilicaslan, E. E., Acar, G., Eksioglu, S., Kesebir, S., & Tezcan, E. (2016). The effect of
delusion and hallucination types on treatment response in schizophrenia and
schizoaffective disorder. Journal of Psychiatry & Neurological Sciences, 29(1), 29-
35. doi: 10.5350/DAJPN2016290103
Knight, C. (2012). Therapeutic use of self: Theoretical and evidence-based considerations
for clinical practice and supervision. The Clinical Supervisor, 31(1), 1-24.
Kumari, R., Chaudhury, S., & Kumar, S. (2013). Dimensions of hallucinations and delusions
in affective and nonaffective illnesses. ISRN psychiatry, 2013, 616304.
doi:10.1155/2013/616304

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McAllister, S., Robert, G., Tsianakas, V., & McCrae, N. (2019). Conceptualising nurse-
patient therapeutic engagement on acute mental health wards: An integrative
review. International journal of nursing studies.
Morck, A. C. (2016). Right There, in the Midst of It: Impacts of the Therapeutic
Relationship on Mental Health Nurses. Journal of Applied Hermeneutics. Retrieved
from http://cdm.ucalgary.ca/index.php/jah/article/view/53272
Nettle, D., & Bateson, M. (2012). The evolutionary origins of mood and its
disorders. Current Biology, 22(17), R712-R721. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2012.06.020
Solman, B., & Clouston, T. (2016). Occupational therapy and the therapeutic use of
self. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 79(8), 514-516. DOI:
10.1177/0308022616638675
Tyng, C. M., Amin, H. U., Saad, M., & Malik, A. S. (2017). The Influences of Emotion on
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