Mental Health Nursing Essay: Experiences and Recovery of Schizophrenia

This essay delves into the realm of mental health nursing, specifically focusing on the recovery process for individuals battling schizophrenia, using the case study of Jeremy Oxley, a member of the band The Sunnyboys, as a prime example. The essay begins by detailing Jeremy's lived experiences with schizophrenia, including his struggles with auditory hallucinations and denial of his condition, which were exacerbated by the pressures of the music industry. It then investigates the implications for personal recovery from both the patient's and caregiver's perspectives, drawing on the documentary 'Sunnyboys' to illustrate the application of the National Recovery Framework and its principles. The essay highlights the crucial role of Mary Griffiths, Jeremy's caregiver, in supporting his recovery, emphasizing the principles of individual uniqueness, patient choice, dignity, respect, partnership, communication, and evaluation of recovery. It underscores the importance of social inclusion, empowerment, and transparent communication in fostering a successful recovery, ultimately showcasing Jeremy's journey from denial to performing with his band after 21 years, and the importance of nursing in supporting patients with mental health conditions. The essay concludes with a reflection on the significance of understanding factors that aggravate mental health conditions and prioritizing patient needs for complete recovery.

1Running head: NURSING
Mental Health- Nursing
Name of student:
Name of university:
Author note:

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Mental health nursing focuses on the different strategies implemented for achieving
recovery of the patient as per the individual needs determined. Recovery in this context is a
complex and multifaceted process and needs to be understood by analysing the different
dimension of it. It involves the improvement in health and wellness and living a self-directed
life. Personal and clinical recovery methods reflect uniting factors utilised in combination
with each other for providing the best outcomes for the patient (Townsend, 2014). The
present would incorporate the National Recovery Framework and Principles to explore the
lived experience of mental health problems of Jeremy Oxley due to schizophrenia as depicted
in the documentary ‘SunnyBoys’. The essay would first describe the lived experiences of
mental illness of Jeremy. It would then investigate the implications for personal recovery as
perceived from both the patient and caregiver’s viewpoint. Examples from the video would
be drawn upon to support the principles documented in the literature.
The present video is on the lives experience of Jeremy Oxley who is a band member
of the famous Australian pop-band The Sunnyboys. The mental health problem he had been
suffering from is schizophrenia, and his journey of recovering from it is remarkable in itself.
The strength and courage that he had shown had been incredible. At the early age of 18 years,
Jeremy was one of the most talented songwriters and singers in Australia. He achieved the
heights of success along with his brother Peter who was also a member of the same band.
Common to the music industry, he could not cope up with the pressure of taking part in
relentless touring and other tasks. He subsequently suffered mental and physical burnout. The
stress was responsible for triggering schizophrenia. He had started having disturbing thoughts
that compelled him to take refuge of alcohol and drugs. The band split after Jeremy refused
medical treatment (edutv.informit.com.au., 2013).
Jeremy had consistently denied that he was suffering from schizophrenia, making the
situation more difficult for him and other individuals in a social relationship with him.

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Jeremy has constantly been focusing on the fact that life is what a person makes it. According
to Fortinash and Worret (2014), it is difficult for a person suffering from a mental illness to
accept the fact that he needs medication management and rehabilitation for overcoming the
mental disorder. Jeremy has seen to develop a lack of insight into the medical condition he
was suffering from. As highlighted by Morrison-Valfre (2016) lack of insight leads a person
to avoid treatment in case of mental health This is commonly in conjunct with mania or
psychosis that leads to undesirable behaviour and recklessness. It is mentioned in the video
that Jeremy became a complex person and was scared of what was happening around him. It
was difficult for him to come to terms with the environment in which he was living. After a
considerable time frame when he was referred to as a lively and vibrant person, the articles
written on the social platform had him down and out. The fact that the wider audience liked
his brother more than him and that he was thought to be arrogant went against his chances of
recovery.
Jeremy has been found to suffer from auditory hallucinations, wherein he could
falsely hear her mother and her brother in their absence. The phenomenological complexity
of auditory hallucinations has been well established in the literature. The frequency of
symptoms might be fluctuating during the illness. The prime factor that is responsible for
determining whether such hallucination is a key feature of the clinical condition is the extent
of interference with mental activities (Paillère‐Martinot et al., 2017).
Recovery from schizophrenia is a personal process of bringing about changes in the
skills, goals, feelings and attitudes of the patient suffering from the illness. The aim is to live
a satisfying and hopeful life even if there are limitations. Since schizophrenia is a complex
disorder, the recovery needs to be multidimensional, and the approach must be addressing the
personal perceptions of the patient. The treatment needs to incorporate education and training

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at different activities so that recovery can be fast (Fortinash & Worret, 2014). In the present
case of Jeremy, the process of recovery has been initiated and guided by Mary Griffiths, who
has been the main caregiver to Jeremy. The video elaborates on how Jeremy met Mary and
her two sons Kieran and Lachlan, and they embraced him to be a part of their family,
enabling Jeremy to undergo a suitable recovery process.
The six principles of menta health recovery are the uniqueness of the individual, real
choices, attitudes and rights, dignity and respect, partnership and communication, and
evaluating recovery. The first principle of the uniqueness of the individual implies that the
recovery is not solely about the cure but also about providing opportunities for living a
meaningful and purposeful life within which the patient is satisfied. Feelings of being a
valued and important member of the community goes a long way in enhancing the self-
respect of the person, thereby increasing the chances of recovery. An emphasis on social
inclusion is given. The person also needs to be empowered to recognise that care is been
given to him (.health.gov.au, 2010). In the present case, it is found that Mary had been
demonstrating this principle of recovery as she and her sons have allowed Jeremy to live with
them as a family that provides a strong social support to him. Living with them has been
fruitful for Jeremy as he has been looked up to as a father figure. Being recognised as a father
figure and getting the respect has helped Jeremy immensely to get included into a social
status. Mary has been taking initiatives to make Jeremy realise that he has been at the centre
of care provided to him.
The second principle defines how a mental health patient must be supported to make
their own choices. Such choices are to be creatively explored and meaningful (.health.gov.au,
2010). In the present case, Jeremy has been empowered to actively engage himself in
painting, a creative act that enables a patient to express his thoughts. Jeremy in the video
states that he puts philosophy and emotions in his paintings. In addition, he teaches the

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children how to play the guitar which makes up an engaging act. Expression of thoughts is
pivotal for overcoming inner negative feelings. The fourth principle guides a carer to show
respect and dignity towards the patient. In the present case, mary is involved in active
listening and engaging in an honest interaction with Jeremy. The sensitivity towards Jeremy
has been reflected in multiples incidents where the beliefs of Jeremy has been respected.
The National Framework for Recovery-oriented Mental Health Services outlines the
domains that together enable a successful recovery of a patient from a mental health
condition. As per this framework supporting personal recovery demands promotion of self-
determination and autonomy, focus on responsibility and strengths and collaborative
relationships. Responses to self-management is also a part of the recovery process
(health.gov.au, 2013). In the present case, Mary had constantly been empowering Jeremy to
overcome the challenges he had been facing and guiding him to foster his relationships with
his own family members. This is reflected through the opinion that Mary gives to Jeremy that
he must not be blaming others for the choices he made, relating to smoking and other such
practices. As Jeremy suffers from diabetes, obesity and unusual heart rhythm, Mary has
empowered him to be responsible for his health and consider living a healthy life. Since a
recovery-oriented practice needs transparency, Mary had acknowledged that situations could
be changed if Jeremy could come to terms with the situations he had been living in.
At the end of the video, it is witnessed that Jeremy has been able to overcome his
condition as he performs with his band after 21 years. Jeremy is found to be hopeful that he
would be able to lead a life of satisfaction and gratification. While he still seeks the truth of
schizophrenia, the fact that he had been suffering from the same is still denied by him. This
informs that the recovery process had been successful in case of Jeremy that enabled him to
combat the challenges he had been facing previously. A profound change in the patient’s

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condition was achieved through sustaining relationships, engaging in transparent
communication and prioritising needs.
From the above discussion on the lived experience of Jeremy, it can be concluded that
recovery for a patient of schizophrenia was possible as the principles of recovery were
followed to a considerable extent. Personal recovery was the prime goal in this case, and
though challenges came up throughout this process and it took 21 years for Jeremy to
recover, the process was noteworthy. For a mental health nurse, it is imperative to understand
the distinct factors that aggravate the mental health condition of the patient so that they are
addressed adequately. It is to be noted that a person facing mental illness suffers from a loss
of self-identity and social isolation. It is therefore crucial that a nurse takes these aspects as a
priority while outlining the recovery care plan. A nurse must be highly sensitive to the
individual needs of the clients and work together in collaboration with the patient to attain
complete recovery.

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References
A national framework for recovery-oriented mental health services: Guide for practitioners
and providers. (2013). health.gov.au. Retrieved 17 September 2017, from
http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/67d17065514cf8e8ca2
57c1d00017a90/$file/recovgde.pdf
Department of Health | Principles of recovery oriented mental health practice.
(2017). Health.gov.au. Retrieved 17 September 2017, from
http://www.health.gov.au/internet/publications/publishing.nsf/Content/mental-pubs-i-
nongov-toc~mental-pubs-i-nongov-pri
Fortinash, K. M., & Worret, P. A. H. (2014). Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing-E-Book.
Elsevier Health Sciences.
Morrison-Valfre, M. (2016). Foundations of Mental Health Care-E-Book. Elsevier Health
Sciences.
Paillère‐Martinot, M. L., Galinowski, A., Plaze, M., Andoh, J., Bartrés‐Faz, D., Bellivier,
F., ... & Artiges, E. (2017). Active and placebo transcranial magnetic stimulation
effects on external and internal auditory hallucinations of schizophrenia. Acta
Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 135(3), 228-238.
The Sunnyboy. (2013). Retrieved from
http://edutv.informit.com.au.ezproxy1.acu.edu.au/watch-screen.php?videoID=655842
Townsend, M. C. (2014). Psychiatric mental health nursing: Concepts of care in evidence-
based practice. FA Davis.