Mental Health Nursing: Community Engagement Assessment 2 Report

This report provides an in-depth analysis of mental health nursing, focusing on its impact on patients' psychological, social, and cultural well-being. It explores the historical context of mental health care, highlighting issues such as stigma, involuntary therapy, and the importance of patient-centered care. The report reflects on the author's perspective, emphasizing the significance of mental wellbeing, the influence of sociocultural factors, and the impact of media and community perceptions. It also delves into psychodynamic theory and the role of communication skills in mental health nursing. Furthermore, the report addresses ethical considerations, the importance of patient consent, and the need for community-based mental health services. The author concludes with a call for comprehensive mental health interventions, including educational initiatives and government support, to promote emotional stability and prevent mental illness.

Community Engagement
Assessment 2
Mental Health Nursing
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Introduction
This report will discuss the current state of Mental Health nursing and how it impacts patients
psychologically, socially and culturally. Additionally, I will present my perspective on the
subject and attempt to make relevant suggestions. Mental disorder care has a long tradition of
unusual and cruel procedures being used on mentally ill patients, resulting in a slew of
professional, societal, and ethical concerns. At first glance, the case presented in the given
paper appeared quite familiar to me, as my thinking process was driven by my previous
expectations and experience. As long as I understood the function of mental health nursing, I
identified some critical problems that need attention. One of the problems I've found is the
'stigma' associated with mental illness, which in this case has branded the patients as
unfortunate, viewed them as offenders (despite the fact that three men face no charges),
seized their liberty, and socially isolated them. Additionally, going to subject these mentally
ill patients to 'involuntary therapy' is another instance of paternalism care being forced on
them without their formal permission, resulting in the lack of patient-centered care and
individual control.
Reflection Part
In particular, mental health refers to the state of balance between an individual and their
sociocultural setting, which enables the individual to engage in employment, relationships,
and academic activity necessary to promote well-being and a high quality of life. I believe
that the word "mental health" is similar to the expression "health and wellness," but mental
health encompasses more than the purely organic existence of modern measurements. Mental
wellbeing has been characterised in a variety of forms by scholars from a variety of cultures.
Contextual well-being, autonomy, and cognitive capacity are also concepts associated with
mental health (Hasson and Butler 2020). The World Health Organization's accuracy, on the
other hand, says that there is no "legal" concept of mental health and that any definition can
often be affected by cultural distinctions, perceptions, disagreements between clinical
hypotheses, and how individuals equate their environment with fact. More than that, a mutual
interest shared by concurring philosophers is that "mental state" and "mental disease" are not
mutually exclusive things; that is, the lack of a known mental condition does not always
imply the existence of mental health, and vice versa, suffering from a recognised mental
illness is not always and inherently a bar to enjoying relatively healthy mental health (Keyes
2012).
I am a firm believer that mental illness is mostly caused by psychological influences such as
daily difficulties, a family member's demise, some traumatic experience or concern from
puberty, and certain lifestyle factors such as separation or divorce from a spouse, depression,
social alienation, or unemployment. Additionally, I agree that people who suffer from mental
disorders can experience emotional as well as physical weakness, may be tense much of the
time, or may be unable to discuss their concerns with others. Additionally, in my opinion, the
signs of depression or an unwell mental condition are very visible, particularly in the case of
one's own relatives, peers, or co-workers. However, it is important to recognise that
psychiatric disorders cannot be stigmatised (Barker 2020). We must not differentiate against
people who are mentally ill, nor should we make them feel worthless. My values,
interactions, and understanding have always compelled me to treat mentally ill individuals
positively in order to provide them with any assistance that might be available. Since, in my
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view, psychiatric illnesses caused by certain socioeconomic causes or risk factors could
potentially be avoided by assisting individuals on a personal level. The deteriorated mental
state could contribute to self or harm to anyone else. My normal preventive strategies include
engaging with sufferers, helping them feel at ease, sharing their concerns, spending
meaningful time with them, empathising with them, engaging them in other tasks, assisting
them in emerging from distressing situations, and, if any, encouraging them to seek adequate
medical attention.
Social stigma of people with mental health problems has a long tradition in the globe. I am
from Bulgaria, where stigma, a lack of self-awareness, social conditioning, fear of failure or
denial, and humiliation all contribute to underreporting of mental health problems. I've seen
that people in rural and urban Bulgaria, regardless of their class, continue to feel that mental
health conditions are influenced by bad spirits, past crimes, God's curse, the evil eye, or bad
karma (Barker 2020). As a result, people choose to seek treatment for psychiatric disorders
from traditional healers or tantrics rather than from psychiatrists. This demonstrates a
deficiency in education about the treatment of depression. Additionally, I've found that the
transgender population faces heightened social isolation, discernment, family abandonment,
and physical abuse, both of which contribute to depression and anxiety, as well as a risk of
suicide. My experience of my community and culture is that people are apprehensive about
disclosing their mental health condition (Hasson and Butler 2020). Additionally, they are
fearful of prejudice and bias, racism, unjust rejection of education, lack of anonymity and
sovereignty, and social isolation. Additionally, I am a firm believer that mass media, as well
as social networks, have a significant impact on people's specific perceptions and actions, as I
have personally witnessed. I was deeply inspired when a well-known Bollywood actress,
Deepika Padukone, publicly shared her battle with depression on India's largest news
channel. This has influenced people's perceptions of mental health conditions, resulting in a
significant shift in their attitudes and efforts to pursue adequate medical care.
The topic of mental health encompasses not only facets of post-acute treatment for perceived
occurrence of mental illness, but also the field of intervention through the fostering of a
sociocultural setting characterised by self-esteem, interpersonal interactions, and other factors
that must be ingrained in children and adolescents' primary education. This consideration is
not limited to experts but is also a component of the obligations of a nation's leadership,
family education, a safe living atmosphere in the community, the burden borne by the media,
and a deliberate approach to mental wellbeing in classrooms, workplaces, and general
research. According to psychodynamic theory, mental health disorders and pathological
characteristics are integral parts of any person (Hasson and Butler 2020). Each subject's
personal constitution consists of abilities or other safe and pathological characteristics, as
well as the ratio of the same factor among individuals. Thus, the capacity to withstand anger
is a necessary first step toward cultivating a thinking process and a knowledge of the world
and of oneself. Mental wellbeing can be based on the role of mind. This is facilitated by a
confining atmosphere (maternal role or caregiver) that enables tolerating agitation and
initiating the growth of the emotional apparatus, the foundation of mental health. Sometimes,
infants or teenagers have mental health issues, and it is advised to see a doctor or
communicate openly with him. Over time and experience, my insight, mentality, and way of
thinking about mental wellbeing and depression have evolved. As in this situation, there is a
stigma associated with criminalising mentally ill people, discriminating against them when it
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comes to receiving equal care attention, denying their chances of survival, and isolating them,
both of which pose a significant danger to humanity and should be avoided. Additionally, it is
obvious that these mentally ill patients are receiving paternalistic treatment. Their freedom to
hear about and deny care, as well as their privacy and anonymity, are both violated. Their
forced institutionalisation without prior consent can result in substandard care and a
significant decline in their mental health, rendering them more vulnerable, aggressive, and
self-injurious (Keyes 2012). I have found that when it relates to mental health, healthcare and
recovery ethics should not be overlooked.
My newfound knowledge of mental wellbeing and depression, I assume, would undoubtedly
have a beneficial effect on my nursing career. Mental wellbeing problems that I previously
ignored deliberately or inadvertently would be eradicated, and I will become more sensitive
while dealing with people suffering from mental illness. Prejudice and forced
institutionalization/treatment are very serious problems. As shown in the given case,
incarcerating mentally ill patients can be extremely detrimental to the patients, their
condition, the clinician-patient bond, and to society overall. As a mental health professional, I
will work to establish and maintain an appropriate clinical partnership with the patient while
abstaining from judgement and discrimination (Keyes 2012). This would aid in supplying
clinicians with the most suitable care possible, thus improving quality of life. The nursing
staff partnership is highly recommended for establishing human sense of connection that is
founded on a deep concern in knowing the patient and how they arrived in their current
condition. I've also discovered that, in addition to professional training and practise, mental
health nursing needs communications skills. Consequently, self-awareness should be present
because it will assist me in determining how I react to a given situation, in being conscious of
my principles and convictions, and in comprehending my attitudes and prejudices toward
individuals and situations. My perspective on receiving the patient's consent has also evolved.
I have recognised that bullying, coercive medical care, and forced hospitalisation pose a
significant danger to the welfare, privacy, and confidentiality of patients (Barker 2020). As a
mental health professional, I would treat patients respectfully and reasonably, respecting their
privacy and confidentiality, obtaining consent for care prior to administering it, and
respecting their decision to refuse medication.
Rather than focusing only on large psychiatric institutions, countries should incorporate
mental health into primary care, offer mental health treatment in general hospitals, and
improve community mental health care. Embracing mental health necessitates the
implementation of educational, societal, and, most importantly, government services with the
common aim of promoting mental health throughout the life cycle in order to maintain
emotionally stable children and to avoid mental illness in adulthood and old age. Mental
wellbeing is a condition of psychological and emotional well-being that enables an individual
to effectively use their mental, social, and emotional abilities in daily interactions. Lack of
understanding of what a mental illness entails is another aspect that contributes to the same
pattern of marginalisation (Hasson and Butler 2020). Youth have a rate of severe mental
health disorders that is twice that of the general population, in addition to being the
demographic that is least likely to seek treatment in this region. Young adults have a high
probability of minimising lifetime disorders provided they achieve widespread social
recognition and accurate and timely community programmes. The conditions are largely
resolved within the realm of societal recognition. Discrimination and shame impede the
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rehabilitation process for individuals with mental illness, making it more difficult to maintain
employment, obtain health care, and access medication. In addition, the comprehensive
paradigm of mental health incorporates principles from anthropology, education, psychology,
religion, and sociology, as well as theory building from individual psychology, sociology,
clinical psychology, health psychology, and developmental psychology. Numerous mental
health providers are becoming aware of the critical role of religious / cultural inclusion in
mental health. The American Psychological Association expressly notes that religion should
be accepted, while the American Psychiatric Association emphasises the importance of
religious and philosophical instruction (Hasson and Butler 2020). Thus, when working with
mentally ill patients, a paramedic must uphold personal values and abstain from actions or
behaviours that may disturb the patient, his family, friends, or others.
Conclusion
Therefore, it can be concluded that mental health disorders are very prevalent in adolescents
and must be handled appropriately by clinicians in order to resolve the condition as quickly
as possible. The topic of mental health encompasses not only facets of post-acute treatment
for perceived occurrence of mental illness, but also the field of intervention through the
promotion of a sociocultural atmosphere characterised by self-esteem, interpersonal
interactions, and other factors that must be ingrained in children and adolescents' primary
education. Sometimes, clinicians are unable to meet the needs of teenagers with mental health
problems, despite the fact that they should be handled accordingly. Thus, I believe that there
are a set of do's and don'ts for clinicians that must be followed.
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References
Barker, S. (2020). Mental Wellbeing and Psychology. Routledge.
Hasson, G. and Butler, D. (2020). Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Workplace. John
Wiley & Sons.
Keyes, C. (2012). Mental Well-Being. Springer Science & Business Media.
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