Experiences Of Mental Health In Patient Care

Commended in the Mental Health category of the 2008 BMA Medical Book Competition. This book offers an insight into the experience of psychiatric in-patient care, from both a professional and a user perspective. The editors highlight the problems in creating therapeutic environments within settings which are often poorly resourced, crisis driven and risk aversive. The contributors argue that for change to occur there needs first of all to be a genuine appreciation of the experiences of those involved in the unpredictable, anxiety-arousing and sometimes threatening environment of the psychiatric ward. Each chapter comprises a personal account of in-patient care by those in the front line: people who have been admitted to a psychiatric ward; their relatives; or those that provide the care. These accounts are followed by two commentaries written from different perspectives, suggesting lessons that can be learnt to improve the quality of care. Experiences of Mental Health In-patient Care will be useful for all mental health professionals, including mental health nurses, psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, occupational therapists, arts therapists, social workers and trainees, as well as service users and carers organisations.

Bringing together treatment and referral advice from existing guidelines, this text aims to improve access to services and recognition of common mental health disorders in adults and provide advice on the principles that need to be adopted to develop appropriate referral and local care pathways.

" This is the first research-based book to confront workplace issues facing nurses who have disabilities. It not only examines in depth their experiences, roadblocks to successful employment, and misperceptions surrounding them, but also provides viable solutions for creating positive attitudes towards them and a welcoming work environment that fosters hiring and retention. From the perspectives and actual voices of nurses with disabilities, nurse leaders, nurse administrators, and patients, the book identifies nurses with disabilities (including sensory, musculoskeletal, emotional, and mental health issues), discusses why they choose to leave nursing or hide their disabilities, and analyzes how their disabilities may influence career choices. "

Approximately 4 million U.S. service members took part in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Shortly after troops started returning from their deployments, some active-duty service members and veterans began experiencing mental health problems. Given the stressors associated with war, it is not surprising that some service members developed such mental health conditions as posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and substance use disorder. Subsequent epidemiologic studies conducted on military and veteran populations that served in the operations in Afghanistan and Iraq provided scientific evidence that those who fought were in fact being diagnosed with mental illnesses and experiencing mental healthâ€"related outcomesâ€"in particular, suicideâ€"at a higher rate than the general population. This report provides a comprehensive assessment of the quality, capacity, and access to mental health care services for veterans who served in the Armed Forces in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn. It includes an analysis of not only the quality and capacity of mental health care services within the Department of Veterans Affairs, but also barriers faced by patients in utilizing those services.

Commended in the Mental Health category of the 2008 BMA Medical Book Competition. This book offers an insight into the experience of psychiatric in-patient care, from both a professional and a user perspective. The editors highlight the problems in creating therapeutic environments within settings which are often poorly resourced, crisis driven and risk aversive. The contributors argue that for change to occur there needs first of all to be a genuine appreciation of the experiences of those involved in the unpredictable, anxiety-arousing and sometimes threatening environment of the psychiatric ward. Each chapter comprises a personal account of in-patient care by those in the front line: people who have been admitted to a psychiatric ward; their relatives; or those that provide the care. These accounts are followed by two commentaries written from different perspectives, suggesting lessons that can be learnt to improve the quality of care. Experiences of Mental Health In-patient Care will be useful for all mental health professionals, including mental health nurses, psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, occupational therapists, arts therapists, social workers and trainees, as well as service users and carers organisations.

The field of health literacy has evolved from early efforts that focused on individuals to its current recognition that health literacy is a multidimensional team and system function. Health literacy includes system demands and complexities as well as individual skills and abilities. While communicating in a health-literate manner is truly important for everyone, it can be especially important for those with mental or behavioral health issues and for the systems and teams that interact with them and treat these individuals. The purpose of the workshop, which was held on July 11, 2018, in Washington, DC, was to explore issues associated with effective communication with individuals with mental or behavioral health issues and to identify ways in which health literacy approaches can facilitate communication. In particular, the workshop aimed to gain a better understanding of how behavioral health and mental health concerns can adversely affect communications between providers and patients and their families. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.