Analysis of Mental Health & Illness: NSG3MHI Report and Reflection

This report analyzes an article focusing on the interconnection between mental and physical illnesses, particularly in individuals with Severe Mental Illness (SMI). The report summarizes the article's key points, which highlight how individuals with mental illnesses often experience poorer physical health, leading to reduced life expectancy. The article emphasizes the role of mental health nurses in improving physical health outcomes through communication, assessment, and programs like the Health Improvement Profile (HIP). The report reflects on the author's feelings after reading the article, including the impact of psychotropic drugs and the need for better training for nurses in assessing physical health. New issues discussed include the impact of psychotropic drugs, the role of physical activity, and the need for multidisciplinary teams. The author's understanding of basic care requirements for patients with SMI has changed, emphasizing the importance of nurses' role in bridging the gap between mental and physical healthcare. The report also discusses the limitations of the article, such as the lack of patient and family involvement in the research and the need for more primary data collection.

Running Head: NSG3MHI- Mental Health & Illness
NSG3MHI- MENTAL HEALTH & ILLNESS

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Outline and Summary of the article...........................................................................................3
Feelings related to the article.....................................................................................................5
New issue...................................................................................................................................6
Changes in understanding..........................................................................................................8
Learning from the article..........................................................................................................10
Conclusion................................................................................................................................11
Reference list............................................................................................................................13

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Introduction
Reflecting on research papers provide the opportunity to learn about different
perspectives to analyze a chosen topic. In this case, an article about the interconnection
between mental and physical illnesses of people has been chosen. This paper has discussed
that people with mental illness often face physical illness due to a lack of physical care. In
this paper, the content of this article is being summarized. I am sharing my feelings related to
this article and mentioning about the new idea I have found in this article. The way this
article has changed my understanding of mental illness can help me in my career in the
future.
Outline and Summary of the article
● Outline
The article is based on finding the role of mental health nurses to improve physical
health of patients with any sort of mental illness. It can be seen that people with mental
illness face early death due to poorer physical health. This is considered as a major form of
inequality.
According to the literature in this article, improper care quality is the main reason
behind poor physical health and the early death of people with different types of mental
illness (Happell et al. 2011).
Nurses can play a major role to improve physical and mental wellbeing of patients by
providing a proper standard of care. According to the authors of this article, nurses can play a
direct role to improve physical health of patients with mental illnesses by communicating
with medical experts, measuring physical cues and others. Moreover, a program called Health
Improvement Profile (HIP) is proposed, which can help in nurse leadership in physical care.
This can help to remove inequalities in this particular area of nursing.

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● Summary
Patients with Severe Mental Illness (SMI) often suffer from different physical ill
health, which reduces their life span. Main aim of this research is to highlight poorer quality
physical health care for individuals with SMI. Objectives of this article include proposing
ways to eliminate shortage of physical care in Australia. This includes a nurse-led physical
health check-up and good quality response program. As opined by Clancy et al. (2019),
mental illness patients are having different risk of physical illnesses such as cardiovascular
risk and diabetes. Mental health (MH) nurses are in close contact with the patient for giving
care and it is also their basic duty to measure physical symptoms of the patients to provide
all-round care. This paper discusses and highlights the reasons behind lower physical
healthcare for individuals with SMI. It can be seen that patients with mental illnesses like
schizophrenia and psychosis often suffer from cardiovascular diseases, which is the main
reason behind their premature death (Stanton, Gaskin, Happell & Platania-Phung, 2017). The
risk of harmful and life-ending diseases such as cancer also gets increased among people
suffering from SMI. There are different reasons for the decreased level of physical health.
This includes consumption of psychotropic drugs, which tends to increase the BMI rate that
impacts the physical health of the patient. Moreover, people with SMI have many bad
behaviors such as smoking, which increases the risk of cancer.
There are different issues like cultural and stereotypes that impact in providing proper
physical care to customers with SMI (Happell et al. 2011). There is proper evidence that
physical care can be a great intervention to stop premature death of mental patients. Nurses
are the largest profession of healthcare in Australia and they are knowledgeable about both
mental and physical health. Hence, they can play a critical role in providing physical care
along with MH care, which can help to eliminate inequality. As said by Ewart, Bocking,
Happell, Platania-Phung & Stanton (2016), nurses have trust of clients and their families.

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They have close contact with patients and their families that can help them to analyze the
circumstances and tailor proper care. The HIP is established in the UK to provide physical
care to MH patients. This program helps to check 28 physical attributes of MH patients that
reduce the risk of physical illness (Happell, Gaskin & Stanton, 2016). Nurse training in HIP
is relatively faster and effective. The researchers of this article performed secondary analysis
and collected evidence regarding the role of MH nurses in physical care. For providing
physical care, nurses need to be more knowledgeable about medical curricula and skills. This
can help them to build confidence in delivering physical care to clients.
Feelings related to the article
After reading this article, I have felt the issue of people with mental illness regarding
physical illness. I used to think that mental illness creates depression in patients and it affects
their mind. As a result, normal metabolic activities hamper. However, this article has
mentioned that use of psychoactive drugs impacts directly the physical condition of patients.
According to Hennessy & Cocoman (2018), this fact is true and MH nurses take it as a lesser
prior area. In most of the cases, healthcare professionals only focus on the mental issue rather
than the effects of mental issues on the physical condition of the patient. I feel that nursing
staff members need the training to evaluate physical health of patients simultaneously with
the care of the mental illness. The chosen article has mentioned that the HIP can be used by
nurses to assess the health condition of patients with SIM (Happell et al. 2011). HIP allows
nurses to use a screening tool to assess wellness of physical attributes. However, proper
training is required for using HIP.
At present, healthcare professionals including nurses are facing a huge workload and
it can lead to burnout. As mentioned by Yalçın, Bilgin & Özaslan (2019), huge work pressure
makes it impossible for nurses to maintain the balance between their personal and
professional life. This fact impacts negatively on their performance. This fact has been

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mentioned in the chosen article as well and I feel this system needs to be changed. More staff
can be recruited within the healthcare sector and it is important to have strong financial
support for that. My feelings towards the nurses of mental illness have changed after
understanding their limitations to look after the physical condition of a patient. On the other
hand, I have found that this paper has not discussed the role of patients with SIM and their
family members in this regard. If patients of SIM are not mentally competent to convey their
health condition to the MH nurses, it is the responsibility of their family members to instigate
nurses for checking vital signs of the body during the period of the MH care process.
This paper has only focused on analyzing the secondary information available about
the chosen topic to generate the conclusion (Happell et al. 2011). However, as mentioned by
Staveley, Soosay & O'Brien (2017), primary data based on practical experience of human
subjects can help to draw a better conclusion. I felt that this study could include MH nurses
and patients with SIM in this research to get more reliable information about the connection
between mental and physical illness. However, the way of analyzing the appropriate
processes of addressing issues related to lack of physical care by nurses of MH can be
considered as a good approach. I feel that including healthcare professionals who can screen
the physical condition of patients with SIM is a good idea and it can help this sector to
provide care for both mental and physical conditions of patients with mental illness. I think
the negative stereotype regarding patients with SIM in MH caregivers needs to be changed as
discussed in this article.
New issue
I came to know about different issues from this article that are different from my
previous learning. MH nurses achieve proper training to manage mental cues of customers.
However, the role of potential problems faced by mental health nurses in physical health
care is a new issue. MH nurses have a huge workload and lack of skills in managing physical

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health creates a gap (Rodgers et al. 2018). Quality of physical healthcare gets decreased due
to lack of knowledge regarding physical health symptoms among nurses. Huge work pressure
of nurses is creating low chances for them to achieve proper training regarding this aspect. As
opined by Daumit et al. (2019), flexible working hours provide chances to nurses and other
healthcare workers to achieve training and enhance their skills. It is essential for nurses to
attend different programs and services for increasing physical activity levels. Hence, it is
essential for nurses to eliminate these issues and achieve essential skills and knowledge to
maintain physical health of consumers with SMI.
From the critical review of this journal, I came to know about harmful impacts of
psychotropic drugs, which is another serious issue. Use of these drugs for treating different
mental illnesses like schizophrenia can increase the BMI rate. Moreover, this drug plays a
critical role in reducing symptoms like suicide. This, in turn, can give rise to different
cardiovascular diseases. As opined by Happell et al. (2016), psychotropic drugs are widely
used to treat mental illness, which impacts on mind, emotions, and behavior. However,
different side effects of the drug can decrease the physical health of a person. This includes
sexual dysfunction, weight gain, sleep disturbances, and others. Hence, it is essential for MH
nurses to consult with experts and apply dosage recommended by the experts. It is essential
for nurses to understand the nature of psychotropic drugs before applying it. Dickens, Ion,
Waters, Atlantis & Everett (2019) contradicted that while psychotropic drugs help in
regulating emotions it can also have adverse impacts on emotions.
Impact of physical activities on customers with mental illnesses is a new issue,
which I came to know by reviewing this article. Happell et al. (2011) mentioned that physical
activity can help patients with SMI to improve their mental and physical conditions. Different
physical activities and exercises can help to reduce the impact of depression and anxiety. On
the other hand, different physical illnesses like cardiovascular diseases that occur due to poor

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MH can be eliminated through exercises (Happell et al. 2011). Moreover, different other
researchers have found that exercise is free from side effects that help the patients to achieve
proper conditioning. This is a new concept, which needs more research. People who suffer
from social isolation and low self-esteem can practice different exercises. Nurses can
motivate their patients to perform different physical exercises, which can help them to
eliminate the risk of chronic physical diseases. However, lack of skills and knowledge is
again a major barrier in this process.
Another new issue, which I have observed is inappropriate formation of
multidisciplinary teams. These teams play a critical role in providing all-round treatment to
customers with SMI. As stated by McGuinness & Follan (2016), experts from different
sectors need to be included in multidisciplinary teams that help to plan the care efficiently.
However, it was found in this research article that dietetics and nutrition experts are rarely
considered in these teams. This creates a gap in providing care to mental illness patients.
Proper diet and nutrition are necessary to avoid different diseases. Lawn, Zabeen, Rowlands
& Picot (2018) argued that nutrition can play a critical role in onset and severity duration of
depression. Hence, inclusion of these experts can help to improve both the mental and
physical condition of patients. These are some new issues found during reviewing the chosen
article.
Changes in understanding
My understanding of basic care requirements of patients with SIM has changed after
reading and reflecting on the chosen article. My previous learning has helped me to
understand symptoms of mental illness and ways of providing care to patients with SIM.
However, I have not realized that physical health conditions need to be monitored in terms of
providing care to these kinds of patients. From this paper, I came to know that these patients
face different types of discriminations due to the negative stereotype of caregivers towards

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them and social stigma, physical health of these patients are being neglected. According to
Strong, Lemaire & Murphy (2017), the healthcare sector is still associated with different
kinds of discrimination towards patients. My understanding of the MH nursing staff members
has changed after reviewing this article. I have come to know about various reasons behind
their negligence towards screening the physical health of patients.
This article has helped me to understand the role of a multidisciplinary team in terms
of handling patients with SIM (Happell et al. 2011). According to Rollins et al. (2017),
usually, a multidisciplinary team is formed to treat a specific severe condition of patients.
However, it is important for the management to include physicians and dieticians in this team
to provide both physical and mental support to patients. For example, if a patient with
diabetes is experiencing any kind of mental illness, it is important for the multidisciplinary
team to manage physical activities of that patient. On the other hand, the treatment of
diabetes needs to be continued simultaneously. I have understood that behavioral changes in
patients that can harm their physical condition need to be assessed. For example, if a person
is going through stress and depression. There is a high chance for that person to consume
alcohol and smoke (Ewart et al. 2017). They need to be prevented from sustaining these
behaviors as it can affect their physical health.
My learning behavior got changed after reviewing this article. I understood that
learning and increasing skills are very important for an MH nurse for providing proper care to
care seekers. Lack of skills can impact on the treatment process and increases the chance of
medical error. For example, an MH nurse needs to have proper knowledge to collect physical
cues of MH patients. Continuous learning can help me to become more efficient in different
processes such as communication with experts regarding physical cues of patients and
documentation of physical symptoms properly. On the other hand, my understanding
regarding the different barriers that MH nurses face in managing physical cues of SMI

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patients got enhanced. Barriers like lack of knowledge, work pressure, and huge workloads
are essential for a nurse to eliminate. These factors can create challenges for me to enhance
my knowledge through training and continuous learning. Hence, it is necessary for me to
avoid these barriers effectively by making a proper schedule of work. I understood that to
increase the physical care role of MH nurse, I need to be more perfect about different medical
concepts and enhance my skills. I will find more opportunities to increase my skills by
attending different training programs.
Learning from the article
After reviewing the chosen article, I have learned that we should not discriminate
against any patient when we are providing care to them. Discrimination lowers the openness
of patients to share their problems with nurses. If a patient with SIM is facing a physical
problem, she or he may realize and share it with the concerned nurse if there is a good
bonding between them. McCloughen, Foster, Kerley, Delgado & Turnell (2016) have
contradicted by saying that the majority of the patients who are experiencing several mental
issues may not be competent to share their problems. I have learned that in those cases, it is
the responsibility of caregivers to screen health conditions frequently and provide support as
required. However, there are several barriers to doing so.
I have learned that a huge workload has a great impact on the performance and health
of MH nurses. Hence, it is the responsibility of healthcare organizations to fix flexible
working hours for them. If they will be mentally and physically fit, they will be able to be
involved in both mental and physical care. As stated by Gray & Brown (2017), political and
financial support can encourage MH nurses to take physical health conditions of patients with
SIM. From this article, I have learned that more detailed curricula about medical practice and
skills need to be included within healthcare settings. Training and development programs can
help MH nurses to assess the side effects of psychoactive drugs, effect of smoking and

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alcohol consumption on health and other health issues that are faced by MH patients. As
suggested by the UK, we can think about designing short-term training courses to help MH
nurses to develop essential skills in monitoring physical health of patients.
On the other hand, I have learned that current practice and policies of healthcare are
not appropriate to address this issue. The current policy and practice of MH care setting need
to be revised. This article has given me the opportunity to learn that nurses can determine and
provide early prevention if they monitor the health condition of patients regularly from the
beginning. This approach can help patients to improve the quality of their lives. As
mentioned by Kim, Higgins, Esposito & Hamblin (2017), we can control the rate of mortality
of MH patients. I have learned that HIP cannot address fundamental issues including lack of
funds, skills and knowledge of nurses of MH settings. However, it is a practice that needs
major support from the management of healthcare authorities.
I have learned a different perspective that a leader of the healthcare setting may
consider improving the provision of physical care. The negligence towards the health
condition of patients with mental illness is becoming a social issue as it is harming
community people (Happell et al. 2011). At present, it is the responsibility of leaders of this
sector to motivate their subordinates to focus on the physical health of patients while dealing
with their mental issues.
Conclusion
From the above discussion, it can be concluded that there is a vital role of an MH
nurse to take care of potential physical problems of patients with SMI. For providing all-
round care, it is essential for nurses to enhance skills and gain continuous knowledge.
Inequality in providing care to MH patients decreases lifespan of them due to various chronic
physical ailments. Reviewing this literature has enhanced my level of understanding of the
subject and changed my learning behavior. I came to know about different issues such as

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inappropriate formation of multidisciplinary teams, which need to be mitigated for gaining
desired treatment objectives.

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