The Basic Mental Health Issues That Are Rampant in the UK - Coursework Example

What is Mental Health? INTRODUCTION Mental illnesses impair the cognitive health of people. Health care professionals have to deal with physical ailing as well as mental ailing. The incidence and prevalence on mental health problems in the UK is high. Statistics estimate that every one in four people experience mental health problems in the course of a year, with depression and mixed anxiety having the highest prevalence in the society. The country has also been found to have the highest rates for self-harm in Europe, at 400 out of every 100,000 people (Mental Health Foundation, 2006). This essay aims to highlight and explore the basic mental health issues that are rampant in the society and discuss them in light of a case study. The essay addresses the responsibilities of a nurse in caring for and assisting mental health patients to cope with their condition. NMC and confidentiality The high incidence of mental problems necessitates that they are dealt with and treated in the best possible way. This formulates the basics of the job tasks that health care professionals need to perform. The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Conduct (NMC), a British organization, aims to protect and promote the health rights of the public. It is a regulatory body that not only supervises education of the nurses and midwives, but also provides a code of conduct for them to incorporate into their practice so that the health needs of the public can be met and high standards of quality can be maintained. One of the aspects of the health care is observing confidentiality, and the NMC provides a set of guidelines for health care professionals to follow regarding confidentiality. The 2008 code mandates nurses and midwives to respect the confidentiality of their patients. It is incumbent on them to inform the patient is well aware of the reasons for sharing information and to notify them if they are in harm. Nurses and midwives are also expected to approach the media only if they believe that they can uphold the confidentiality of the patient. WHAT IS MENTAL HEALTH? Mental health is classified as that state of well-being where a person’s cognitive and emotional capabilities are intact. Mental health can not be defined by a precise model since it can not be diagnosed by a typical set of symptoms; on the other hand, defining mental health encompasses a holistic model that inculcates all environmental as well as personal factors that affect mental health. The World Health Organization defines mental health as a “state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of a disease” (WHO, 2010). Expounding on this definition, in the physical context, mental health refers to the ability of an individual to perform tasks with considerable mental consciousness and accuracy. Well-being is a broad term, encompassing traits that empower people. A mentally healthy individual is sound enough to make reasoned judgments and have IQ level equal that matches their chronological age. Moreover the person can indulge in social activities, interacting with people he or she likes and developing a healthy relationship with them. Mental health is a pivotal part of our health and determines many aspects of our lives including what we think about others and how we perceive ourselves. Since it governs our behavior and lifestyle and how we conduct ourselves, mental health helps people meet the demands of life. Another definition of mental health defines it as “the general state of age normative pro-social being; of being in control of one’s own impulses, thought processes, and behavior” (Vermont, 2010). This definition emphasizes the importance of being in conscious control of one’s thought process and actions. A mentally healthy person is well developed in terms of his emotional and creative capacities. He or she is satisfied by himself or herself and indulges in activities that denote a healthy social life like laughing, playing, and building healthy interpersonal relationships. The enthusiasm that a person shows regarding his life is reflective of the satisfaction that he feels, and hence depicts his mental health. Optimism and the ability to bear adversity compromise a major faction of mental health. Health is that quality of a person that enables him to perform tasks that satisfy his physical capacities. Therefore, mastery, coupled with self-satisfaction and recognition of one’s worth, becomes an essential part of the mental well-being of a person. One who is mentally sound is seen to participate in productive activities and foster social ties with family and friends. Other definitions of mental health also include the perspective that mental health is not only limited to personal causes, but is influenced by biological and social elements. It is also assessed by the contribution a person makes towards the improvement and gradation of the surrounding environment and community. In short, the definition of mental health can not be circumscribed to a few words due to the fluctuations and variations found in it and also because there is no proper line that differentiates between mental health and ill-health. However, one can generalize and classify individuals with a social and psychological well-being as mentally fit. WHAT IS MENTAL ILLNESS? Mental illness has been defined as any illness or disorder of the human mind (Staunton & Chiarella, 2007, p.301). The American Psychiatric Association explains mental illness as a “clinically significant behavioral and psychological syndrome or pattern that occurs in an individual and is associated with present distress or disability or with a significantly increased risk of suffering, death, pain, disability, or an important loss of freedom” (Videbeck, 2010, p.3). If the behavioral and psychological pattern of the individual is not typical, and is reflective of any personal mental disorder, due to which the person is not able to function independently or deviates from the normal trend of development, then that person is said to have a mental condition. The term mental illness is also very broad in terms of the range of mental disorders that afflict people. Therefore, it includes all mental disorders attributed with changes in normal perceptions, mood and the behavior of the person. Mental illnesses are representative of abnormal functioning of the body’s high centers that relay thoughts and indulge in cognitive functions. Mental illness has also been defined as that disease of the mind where the person’s behavioral and emotional problems have exacerbated to the extent that they require medical attention. Elaborating the definition, mental illness is that state of the mind where cultural, genetic or pathological conditions impair the person’s normal cognitive and emotional functioning. As a result a mentally ill person fails to meet his needs or the expectations of the society. He has poor or no social interaction and faces problems handling discussions. Such people are also seen to have a lack of understanding and sound judgment, showing shallow emotions and problems in adjusting in a new environment. Unlike physical illness, mental illness manifests itself in the context of the patient’s interaction with the environment and other people through language use, attitudes and behaviors (Kawanishi, 2006, p.xi). Thus one can appreciate the difference between mental health and mental illness. CASE STUDY- CHALLENGES FOR THE MENTALLY ILL During my clinical placement, I came across with Ann Taylor. Ann is a 65 years old woman who, a few months ago, was admitted to the hospital with complaints of tightness of chest, chest pain, burning and numbness. She was also short of breath, and the medical officer suspected that she had coronary artery disease. He ordered further tests to investigate the cause including EKG and coronary angiography. The findings clearly showed blockage in the flow of blood in the coronary arteries, and the doctors said that the best treatment would be to have a graft. Therefore, a team of experts was formed to carry out the operation in order to prevent the heart from becoming ischemic. The surgical procedure took a vein from Ann’s leg and replaced it in the coronary artery. The procedure, known as Coronary Artery Bypass Graft, was able to fulfill the nutritional needs of the heart and provide adequate blood flow to it (Carpenito-Moyet, 2008, p.540). However, Ann’s prognosis was not good. Only six months had elapsed when she started developing serious complications. She developed acute renal failure and was admitted to the hospital three weeks ago. Her health is also indicative of postperfusion syndrome since she also had a fever of unknown origin, FUO (Cunha, 2007, p.104). Postperfusion syndrome is characterized by neurocognitive decline and presents with the patient having difficulty in attention, and a decrease in the speed of his or her mental and physical reactions. Ann used to be very independent, not relying on anyone to do her chores. She used to tend to the entire apartment on her own and was very active. However, in the months after her bypass, she has been dependent on home care nurses and neighbors to help her in almost everything. As a result, and partly due to her neurocognitive decline, she has started feeling depressed and gloomy. The doctors have told her that she should take adequate bed rest, and continue treatment for acute renal failure. Ann is going through a rough patch in her life. She does not have any children or husband, and feels lonely. Consequently her mental health is being compromised. Stigma is one of the major problems that people with poor mental health face. Stigma reduces their self-esteem, contributes to disruptive family relationships and adversely affects their ability to foster healthy social relationships and obtain housing and be employed (World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, 2005, p.41). People with psychiatric problems are often disgraced due to their inability to live a relatively independent life in terms of their mental function. When I talked to Ann, I realized that she has not been treated with respect because of her mental condition. Although she was house-bound most of the time due to her poor prognosis, she had once gone out to the nearby store for grocery shopping. She said that she was slow on calculations and could not think clearly. As a result, the shopkeeper nicked her and overcharged. When she came back home and her neighbor, Susan, came over to help her cook food, Susan said that the grocery was less and the shopkeeper had cheated her. Ann also said that she used to go sit on the porch when her health allowed her. However, the neighborhood children used to make faces at her and call her names. They often used to ring the doorbell and run away. As a result, Ann said that she felt depressed at her condition. She started thinking that she has no worth and does not deserve a place in the society. She said that she could just move to some isolated place where no one knew her and where she did not have to depend on anyone to help her. Amongst many other problems, the fact that she had to rely on others for housekeeping and food etc. made her feel very sad and disheartened. She told stories of how she used to walk to the store everyday and buy groceries. She reminisced the pre-operation days when she took care of the entire apartment, setting to work early in the morning. She confided in me that being involved in her daily chores filled in the void for a husband and family. Now that she has to depend on her neighbor Susan for help and the very few visits by relatives, she feels very lonely and upset. She also said that her relatives feel ashamed of her, and their visits are more of a formality than a kind gesture to cheer her up. Mental illnesses in the family jeopardize relationships and the added perception to stigma can elicit rage or intensify depression and social withdrawal (Hinshaw, 2007, p.108). Ann is clearly suffering from depression. Depression is a mental state characterized by low self-esteem and pessimism. The person feels despondent, loses interest in activities and feels guilty. It affects the people’s ability to tend to their responsibilities, and makes them person feel that they are worthless, leading to suicides in extreme cases. Depression is very common, affecting millions of people all over the world. It can be treated by giving medications like anti-depressants and psychological counseling. Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, has proven to be effective since it helps the person get over guilt, and with advice from the psychiatrist, enables him or her to reconstruct their lives. There are many different types of therapy available. Concurrently, people can also opt for medications, although it may take up to a month for the person to feel major mood lift. They are being used widely and are often prescribed for very long-term use (Ioannidis, 2008). Antidepressant medications include Wellbutrin XL and are taken on the advice of the doctor. ROLE OF A NURSE Depression requires effective and immediate treatment. The primary objective of a nurse is to provide care to the patient and treat him with empathy. This forms a major part of treating patients with mental disorders. Since depressed people feel lonely and isolated, showing them kindness and compassion can help subdue the despondency and lack of self-recognition that they are facing. The nurse should not show prejudice or stigma to his or her patients. It is the quality of a good nurse to treat patients equally and to appreciate their uniqueness and worth, abstaining from making any judgments or discriminating against them on the nature of their health. The nurse and patient relationship should be free from stereotypes, prejudices and bias based on religion, color and creed as well as on the financial status of the patient, seriousness of the patient’s health and personal attributes (Tschudin & Hancock, 2008, p.130). Since the nurse is responsible for the moral support and emotional well-being of the patient, stereotypes and biases can be detrimental to the already fragile mental health of the patient. A nurse’s attitude should be reflective of the care needed by the patient. Therefore, in the case on Ann, my attitude should focus on providing her emotional and moral support aimed to help her get over her depression and engage her in productive activities that keep her busy. This is important since Ann complained that being idle causes her to feel lonely; thus, being part of activities like reading the newspaper etc. can divert her attention from the pessimistic ideas that she has been thinking recently. Good treatment is a cornerstone to eliminating stigma and prejudices rampant in the society against the mentally ill. The improvements in treatment and care provided to the mentally handicapped in Europe have radically ameliorated the living conditions of this group, conventionally stigmatized and discriminated against, and have brought a huge change in the quality of their life (World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, 2005, p.42). As a nurse, I can encourage Ann to socialize with other patients, especially in group therapy, where she meets people with depression problems. Groups who share the stigma provide a source of acceptance and support for the members (Larsen & Lubkin, 2008, p.57). Sharing her problems can also be effective and I can play my part my listening to her with patience and attention, providing her advice about how she can turn the situation to her favor. Mental ill-health is not a crippling condition, and as part of the NMC statement regarding confidentiality and the code of conduct, I need to instill this notion in Ann that she can look for employment and participate in routine hobbies that she enjoyed doing earlier. It is also necessary to counsel her regarding the low self-esteem that she feels. She needs to accept the fact that she is not worthless and can contribute to the community through many ways. These can include any sort of community help. I can channel her energies in such philanthropist activities by encouraging her to be part of welfare groups working for a better community. Ann also said that the fact that she has to depend on others for food etc. upsets her. For this purpose, I can counsel Ann that it is humane and kind of people to help her and there is nothing wrong about it. I can also advice her on how to acclimatize to her health condition. She needs to take responsibility of small tasks at first, like ironing her clothes, dressing up etc before proceeding to cleaning the apartment and other strenuous exercises. I can relate to her examples of previous patients who have had much worse handicaps and yet are living a relatively independent life. People who offer health services provide success stories that provide great inspiration and expose patients to special experiences and critical viewpoints that empower them (Mueser & Jeste, 2008, p.539). There are also many myths about mentally ill people like mental illness is cue to some personal weakness or has no cure. Ann needs to be counseled to overlook such myths and criticisms that people are going to level at her. In my opinion, if she is able to realize and appreciate her worth, she can cope with any criticism. Thus, I believe my job is to assist Ann overcome her feelings of worthlessness and encourage her to accept her uniqueness and individuality. CONCLUSION Mental health constitutes an integral part of a person’s overall well-being. The prevalence of mental illnesses, especially in the UK, is high. Mental health and mental illness are different, where mental health is not just the absence of any clinical mental disorder. On the other hand, mental health refers to emotional and psychological well-being and is a holistic concept. Mental illnesses can include depression and require medical as well as emotional treatment. Mental health can be influenced by many factors. The chief challenge in recovery-oriented is how to support people with mental illnesses as they go about trying to figure out how to live a meaningful life and to subjugate their mental illness (Davidson, Rakfeldt & Strauss, 2010, p.9). In the case of Ann, stigma and depression caused her to be socially isolated and feel despondent and worthless. She faced challenges in carrying out a normal life like she used to earlier. This made her even more depressed and she started harboring pessimistic thoughts. As a nurse, my role lies in helping Ann see her potential and recognize her worth. It is significant that she learns to ward off any criticism leveled at her in order to live a normal life. I concluded that a person’s emotional well-being is very vulnerable to harsh elements that are present in the society. The fact that so many people are afflicted by depression and related mental health disorders is not their fault, but a result of the negative agenda of stigma and bias propagated by the community. Thus, it is not necessary that one should be a nurse to empathize with such people; as a person, we should all strive to give moral support to the mentally ill since they are the ones who require it the most. REFERENCE LIST Carpenito-Moyet, L. J., 2008. Nursing care plans & documentation: nursing diagnoses and collaborative problems. 5th ed. China: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Cunha, B. A., 2007. 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