Promotion of mental / psychological health - Essay Example

The Impact of Value Orientation in Promoting Mental Health Your Full The Impact of Value Orientation in Promoting Mental Health Mental illnesses have been regarded as one of the main reasons for loss of quality of life and statistics have shown that almost 20 percent of adults have gone through some form of mental disorder once in their lifetime (www.samhsa.gov, 2012). Value orientation is one of the identified barriers to the promotion of mental health (Leong and Kalibatseva, 2011). A patient’s beliefs or value orientation greatly affect their behavior, especially when they are surrounded with people that have different values as theirs.

As acute care nurses, it is important to understand the cultural background of these patients in order to properly provide the help they need.Breaking the Barrier The International Society for Mental Health Online [ISMHO] is an institution that uses the internet to reach psychotherapists and patients who may be suffering from all sorts of mental disorder. The organization aims to help educate those in the field of mental health by providing the information that may be needed in the field. The ISMHO provides information from different parts of the world to help improve the quality of care provided for mental health patients, and encourages research.

However, their organization does not provide all information for free, and requires membership of $25 (www.ismho.org). Research appears to be one of the best strategies that will be able to break the barrier of value orientation (Leong and Kalibatseva, 2011). Acute care nurses can access forums and other information online through sites such as that of the ISMHO so that they may educate themselves and better evaluate the behavior of the patients that they attend to. Case studies in the ISMHO website can serve as a guide to help acute care nurses deal with their patients.

Once the differences in culture and value orientation are identified, acute care nurses will be able to better communicate with the patients, and develop means that will gain the patient’s trust. As with any form of interpersonal relationship, communication also plays a very important role to overcome value orientation as a barrier in mental health promotion. Leong and Kalibatseva (2011) identified that collectivistic values of Hispanics and Asian people make them more difficult to attend to because of their culture that emotions or problems should not be told to strangers.

It is then imperative that acute care nurses must deal with patients, especially those belonging to minority groups, in a manner that the patients will able to feel that it is alright to disclose their emotions or problems even if they are talking to strangers.Conclusion Value orientation plays a significant role with how individuals behave and relate to people within their culture and those different from them. It is important that acute care nurses overcome this barrier to be able to better promote mental health with the same efficiency across all individuals.

Through research and effective communication, acute care nurses can help improve the lives of people who have mental disorders. With this in mind, are the mental health care facilities, as well as the acute care nurses, prepared to incorporate research into their mental health programs?ReferencesInternational Society for Mental Health Online [IMSHO]. (1997). Mission Statement. Retrieved from www.ismho.org/mission.aspLeong, F.T.L. and Kalibatseva, Z. (2011, Mar 23). Cross-cultural Barriers to Mental Health Services in the United States.

Retrieved from www.dana.org/news/cerebrum/detail.aspx?id=31364.Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA]. (2012, Jan 19). National Report Finds One-in-Five Americans Experienced Mental Illness in the Past Year. Retrieved from http://www.samhsa.gov/newsroom/advisories/1201185326.aspx