Mental Health Promotion - Term Paper Example

Mental Health Promotion Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Name Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Course Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Instructor Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Date Introduction The essay herein is a critical discussion of mental health promotion and its relevance in the field of nursing practice. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the overall definition of health is the physical, social and the mental well-being of an individual and not merely the absence of a disease or illness (Keleher & Armstrong, 2006, p. 35). Mental health promotion (MHP) has therefore been developed to become an integral part of everyday nursing practice being fundamentally important to the overall wellbeing of the patients. It is about improving the well being for all people whether they are ill or not (Keleher & Armstrong, 2006, p. 36). Mental health promotion is a very essential element in reducing the overwhelming burden that has continuously been caused by mental disorders. The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion of 1986, for instance, was proposed and framed with the sole purpose of legitimising the vision of health promotion by including mental health (Hills & McQueen, 2012). This could be achieved through clarifying the key concepts, highlighting the critical conditions and resources necessary for the promotion of health and putting into place the key actions and basic strategies that would help in promoting the health of individuals (Hills & McQueen, 2012). The Ottawa Charter focused heavily on building a sound public health policy, creating community action and supportive environments, developing personal skills and reorienting public health services (Hungerford, 2012, p. 423). These are also some of the interventions that nurses could employ in order to address the issue of mental health promotion and will be discussed later in this paper. The Ottawa Charter, with its strengths and weaknesses, sought to comprehensively address the promotion of health and nonetheless broadly embraced the vision of health promotion at the centre of its operation (Hills & McQueen, 2012). There is also the framework proposed by the Victorian Vic Health on health promotion priorities in 2007 which fully supports programs that promote quality health and related practices. Among the priorities listed in this framework include the promotion of physical health, promoting accessibility to nutritious foods, promoting sexual and reproductive health, reducing the use of drugs and provision of safe living environments as well as the promotion of mental health and well being (Victorian Vic Health, 2008). It is worth noting here that the aspect of mental health has not been left out. In fact, the issue of mental health promotion was pointed out as the number one priority and was not only limited to people with mental illnesses but to the general population as a whole (Boyko & Ardiles, 2007). Matters of mental health are then listed as dealing with life’s issues such as stress, bullying, building self-esteem, depression, family and intimate partner violence as well as lack of social connectedness (Hage et al., 2007). From the introduction above, it then becomes critical to discuss the development and continuum of MHP and its growing relevance in the field of nursing practice. The concepts and principles of mental health promotion (MHP) Mental Health Promotion in the nursing practice is an increasingly diverse and ever-changing field (Keleher & Armstrong, 2006). A clear understanding of its concepts and principles is needed to help create conditions that will support and promote good mental health for all. A good case example is the psychiatric mental health patient. Such a patient, for instance, will require a range of mental health services of which a qualified health care professional must be able to provide (Barry & Jenkins , 2007). Nurses must therefore be able to understand the concepts and principles of mental health care in order to deliver safe, competent, psychological and ethical care to people with mental illnesses (Barry & Jenkins , 2007). The concepts and principles of MHP therefore include: The social determinants of mental health: - these include factors that can either enhance or threaten the mental well being of an individual or the whole community as well (Herrman, Saxena & Moodie, 2005). In some cases, they can be matters of individual choice while in others they can relate to the social environs and are beyond the control of the individual. Examples may include relationships, social class, quality of housing and employment, accessibility and affordability of social amenities (Herrman, Saxena & Moodie, 2005) just but to mention a few. In summary, the concepts and principles of mental health are conceptualized on two basic elements which are power and resilience (Barry & Jenkins , 2007). It is essential for nurses to know that the mental health status of individuals, whether sick or not, is determined by a complex interplay of individual characteristics ( (Boyko & Ardiles, 2007), Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 2010). These are also integrated with social, cultural, economic and family circumstances at both individual and community levels. The main principle of MHP is that it primarily focuses on the enhancement of the overall wellbeing of the individual instead of focusing on illnesses or diseases (Patterson & Rickwood, 2009). As a nurse, it is also essential to note that it addresses the population as a whole and not only the affected section. Moreover, MHP is oriented towards taking actions on the variety of the determinants that are crucial to mental health such as the social environment, income and decent housing (Friedli & Parsonage, 2007, pp. 14-23). It will also be interesting to note that in the nursing practice, the aspect of mental health promotion is an element that incorporates protective measures as compared to the curative ones (Friedli & Parsonage, 2007). At the same time, MHP also acknowledges and reinforces the competencies of the general population as a whole. MHP focuses on two major concepts. These are power and resilience as mentioned earlier. While power is the ability of a person, people or community to have a sense of control over life, resilience on the other hand has been defined as capability to manage and to cope with significant adversities in a manner that is effective and resulting in an increased ability to respond to future adversities (Herrman, Saxena & Moodie, 2005). The relevance of mental health promotion to everyday nursing practice The promotion of mental health has proved to be very significant to daily nursing practice. This is so because it is the emotional well being and the resilience that enables individuals to enjoy life and live a happy life. It is therefore significant that nurses participate actively in mental health promotion, which will help foster good mental health for their patients (Friedli & Parsonage, 2007, p. 19). MHP is usually concerned with three things, individual persons, factors that influence how people think and the impact that it has in the general mental health of those particular individuals. Mental health problems also remain relevant to primary nursing care because there are a lot of patients who come with mental health problems (Hungerford, 2012, p. 413). Such problems include anxiety, depression and certain phobias. There are also other severe mental health problems such as psychosis and dementia which are likely to have massive detrimental social impacts and therefore ought to be dealt with effectively (Barry & Jenkins , 2007, p. 16). Nurses must therefore consider mental health promotion as a way of improving the quality of care that they give to their patients. It is also essential in the nursing practice because ill mental health is very common in all hospital settings. For instance, a large percentage of primary care patients report stress as a part of their problems thus nurses must be equipped with sufficient knowledge and skills such as guiding and counselling, encouragement and social support skills to deal with such mental problems. Mental distress and mental illnesses are inextricably linked with most physical illnesses (Victorian Vic Health, 2008). It will therefore be professionally incompetent to try and separate the two. Most of physical health problems are also caused by psychological factors and this makes it prudent for nurses to know how to handle the mental health of their patients effectively (Boyko & Ardiles, 2007). One of these ways is through mental health promotion (Boyko & Ardiles, 2007). The core reason here, is therefore, that mental health is a very critical factor underpinning the aspects of physical health (Keleher & Armstrong, 2006). Conclusively, nurses must be ideally placed to promote the mental well being of the patients. Nursing interventions to promote mental health A number of interventions can be used to promote the well being of individuals but practitioners must take into consideration the available resources and possible or likely hindrances to applying the interventions (Hungerford, 2012). The main goal of MHP according to the Canadian Public Health Association is to increase the protective factors in mental health, resilience, decreasing the risk factors and reducing inequities (Boyko & Ardiles, 2007). The range of interventions that nurses could apply in order to ppromote the mental health of individuals and build the emotional resilience of families in their care includes: Health education- over the past decades, evidence has shown that effective health education is an effective intervention in the MPH (Hills & McQueen, 2012). Notably, it is a very realistic approach in primary care giving as it has proved to contribute to better mental health and the well being of the population. Health education programmes may help in eliminating activities that lead to poor mental health such as bullying, child abuse, violence and aggression as well a drug and substance abuse (Herrman, Saxena & Moodie, 2005). Community action and supportive environments- poor nutrition and socio-economically challenged backgrounds could have detrimental effects of the mental health of an individual (Barry & Jenkins , 2007). Community action intervention include nutritional implementations like food supplementation, improved housing, access to quality education, empowering activities and initiatives such as closing gender gaps (Hills & McQueen, 2012). Social support programmes and disaster intervention also fall under this category. Nurses educate their patients on proper dieatary patterns and also advocate for empowerment initiatives which are integral to mental health (Hills & McQueen, 2012). In addition, they contribute to nutritional growth through research hence providing the population with necessary information (Hills & McQueen, 2012). Such measures play a crucial role in promoting the mental well being and building the resilience of individuals and communities at large (Hage et al., 2007). Screening and assessment- this particular one falls under the spectrum of early interventions in MPH. It is focused on individuals who are beginning to show signs and symptoms of a mental health disorder (Keleher & Armstrong, 2006, p. 36). It is based on early recognition, identification and then prevention. For example, screening may be done for post-natal depression which will prevent any occurrence of the same (Boyko & Ardiles, 2007). On the other hand, assessing may be done for mental health assessment in drug, alcohol and substance abuse in order to increase mental illness awareness (Herrman, Saxena & Moodie, 2005). Skill development- most skill development takes place at school (Friedli & Parsonage, 2007, p. 15). This intervention will therefore start at an early age and has proved to be successful in promoting positive mental health (Friedli & Parsonage, 2007, p. 15). Good school settings have had positive outcomes on the mental health of individuals in their later years. Behavioural and skill development programmes, for instance, has had positive results in reducing violent crime among the youth while promoting social inclusion thus limiting the chances of mental health problems (Boyko & Ardiles, 2007). Nurses can play a role by advocating for the inclusion of skill development programs in schools. Education and social marketing- this is an intervention mostly effected through media campaigns at community level therefore affecting the whole population (Hungerford, 2012, p. 456). Nurses will use this on many occasions to promote community awareness about issues that affect mental health. In everyday practice, it addresses issues such as stress and stigma while also raising awareness about positive attitudes and promotion of mental health (Hills & McQueen, 2012). As a result, these campaign messages help patients and individuals to understand what good mental health is and also recognize mental health problems when they arise. The media is a tool for effective advocacy in MPH ( Victoria Vic Health, 2008). Re-orienting provision of health services- this is an intervention outlined in the Ottawa Charter on the Promotion of Health and concerns the responsibility of several health institutions to work together in order pursue quality mental health of the population (Barry & Jenkins , 2007). It requires the nurses to work beyond their responsibility in order to ensure that healthier and open channels to better mental health (Herrman, Saxena & Moodie, 2005). This can be achieved by cooperating with other health agencies like psychiatric centres to deal with mental health promotion (Barry & Jenkins , 2007, p. 15). The interventions still go a long way. The Victorian Vic Health framework in Australia has categorised the interventions according to several groups. For instance, there are interventions to increase social inclusion, those to prevent violence, to access economic resources among many others. The overarching theme here however, remains that nurses ought to be well versed with all the effective interventions that will promote the mental health and well being of those under their care. The same case still applies to the mental health of nurses and the workplace issues that confront their daily nursing practice (Weller & Grunes, 2012). As qualified professionals, nurses are burdened with the responsibility dealing with all types of patients, including those with mental health problems while at the same time delivering maximum care (Weller & Grunes, 2012). This responsibility can be overwhelming at times plunging them into stressful lives. The social and economic burden of mental disorders is evidently increasing in our community (Boyko & Ardiles, 2007). The nurses who work in these areas are also bound to suffer depression and stigma due to too much work. However, they are supposed not to succumb to mental health stresses that accompany such responsibility (Wyn et al., 2000). Several interventions and strategies can help them deal with the daily stressful confrontations. For instance, avoiding overworking, taking breaks to rest and upholding professional competency to avoid confrontations may prove to be helpful (Weller & Grunes, 2012, p. 277). Maintaining good therapeutic relationships is also a good dose for avoiding mental stress of an individual and that of fellow colleagues (Boyko & Ardiles, 2007). Nurses can also promote their own mental health by actively participating in community networks. Applying interventions such as screening and early assessment are also helpful to help nurses maintain their own mental health (Boyko & Ardiles, 2007). Conclusion Mental health promotion (MHP) has developed to become an integral part of everyday nursing practice being fundamentally important to the overall wellbeing of the patients. It is about improving the well being for all people whether they are ill or not. It is also a very essential element in reducing the overwhelming burden that has continuously been caused by mental disorders. Inherent to MPH are a range of interventions that have been outlined as effective to promoting and enhancing the mental health status of individuals and their overall well being. Willinsky (2003), noted out that for mental health promotion to be successful, an increased sense of power and resilience must be illustrated by the individual. Promoting mental health requires broadly based principles and concepts discussed above as well as relevant interventions that are placed within the context of population health. Therefore MHP can be achieved through early childhood interventions, social connectedness, economic empowerment, social support programmes and mental health interventions among many others. It is thus crucial and an unavoidable necessity in the field of nursing. I rest my case. References Barry, M., & Jenkins, R. (2007). Implementing mental health promotion. Edinburgh, Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier.p. 9-17 Boyko, J., & Ardiles, P. (2007). Best practice guidelines for mental health promotion programs children & youth. Toronto, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health=Centre de toxicomanie et de santé mentale. http://www.camh.net/About%5FCAMH/Health%5FPromotion/Community%5FHealth%5FPromotion/Best%5FPractice%5FMHYouth/index.html. Canadian Mental Health Association publication Supporting Senior’s Mental Health: A Guide for Home Care Staff: www.marketingisland.com/CMHA/pages/product.asp?id=2504 Friedli, L., & Parsonage, M. (2007). Building an economic case for mental health promotion: part I. JOURNAL OF PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH. (6) p. 14-23. Available from www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1934763 Hage, S., Romano, J., Conyne, R., Kenny, M., Matthews, C., Schwartz, J., & Waldo, M. (2007). Best Practice Guidelines on Prevention Practice, Research, Training, and Social Advocacy for Psychologists. 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