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Mental health, mental illness, or some of each? The need for care with the use of languageEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
(Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing)
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - November 3, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Brenda Happell Tags: Editorial Source Type: journals

Families as Partners in Mental Health Care: A Guidebook for Implementing Family WorkEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
(Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing)
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - November 2, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Kim Foster Tags: Book Reviews Source Type: journals

Clinical Supervision for NursesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
(Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing)
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - November 2, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Anthony Welch Tags: Book Reviews Source Type: journals

Alone together: A grounded theory study of experienced burden, coping, and support needs of spouses of persons with a bipolar disorderEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Bipolar disorder is a chronic and severe mental disorder. Little is known about the experiences of the spouses of such patients. A grounded theory study was undertaken to examine the burden for spouses living with a partner with a bipolar disorder and to explore how they cope and what support they need. Fifteen spouses and ex-spouses were interviewed; they experienced heavy burden and found themselves to be 'alone together.' Their coping process is found to involve appraisal of the situation and attempts to achieve a balance between self-effacement and self-fulfilment. While support can clearly reduce experienced burden, t...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - November 2, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Trijntje Y. G. van der Voort, Peter J. J. Goossens, Jaap J. van der Bijl Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

Comparison of mental health nurses' attitudes towards smoking and smoking behaviourEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Smoking is widely recognized as an important public health issue for the general population and in the mental health field where the rates are particularly high. Mental health nurses are well positioned to take an active role in encouraging and supporting people diagnosed with mental illness to cease smoking. Information about smoking behaviour and the attitudes of mental health nurses is necessary to develop strategies to prepare nurses for this important role. A cross-sectional study was conducted to examine the smoking behaviour and attitudes of mental health nurses in Queensland, Australia, through a random selection o...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - November 2, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Trudy Dwyer, Julie Bradshaw, Brenda Happell Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

Sex differences in self-reported anxiety in rural adolescentsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
An anxiety disorder affects 13 out of every 100 children. The purpose of this paper is to determine if there are differences in self-reported anxiety between male and female rural adolescents. In total, 193 students aged 14[ndash]17 years in three western Pennsylvania rural high schools, USA, were surveyed. The majority of participants were Caucasian (86.5%, n = 167), female (53.4%, n = 103), and aged 15.57 years (SD = 0.93). The females' mean self-reported anxiety score was higher than the males' score (P < 0.0001). The females' mean score was 25.09 (SD = 13.83; a score [ge]25 may indicate the need for further evaluation ...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - November 2, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Kathryn Puskar, Lisa Marie Bernardo, Dianxu Ren, Kirsti Hetager Stark, Suzanne Lester Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

Treatment regimes in a psychiatric hospital and apparent contradictions: Report from field work in a lock-up ward illustrated with a constructed caseEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this study, we wanted to explore these approaches as they are implemented in inpatient treatment. We conducted a 9-month ethnographic study in two lock-up psychiatric wards in a Norwegian psychiatric hospital. In this article, we present a constructed case, Mary, to illustrate the voices, experiences, and perspectives of patients and staff as observed primarily in the patients' smoking room, the corridor, and the staffroom. From the perspective of staff, we identified at least two professional perspectives concerning patients' daily life: a strong medical[ndash]psychiatric view and a weaker therapeutic milieu, which see...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - November 2, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Aina Skorpen, Norman Anderssen, Christine Øye, Anne Karen Bjelland Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

A clinical improvement project to develop and implement a decision-making framework for the use of seclusionEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The use of seclusion within acute psychiatric settings is contentious. As evidenced by its use in practice, seclusion continues to be supported by mental health-care professionals. However, there is a growing evidence base that indicates that it is viewed negatively by patients and causes symptoms of severe distress. In Australia and several other countries, the use of restraint and seclusion is now being questioned, and there are now policy directives to reduce or abandon these practices. Despite mental health-care professionals' awareness of the potential detrimental effects of seclusion, the practice is strongly embedde...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - November 2, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Sandra Hyde, Paul Fulbrook, Keryn Fenton, Michael Kilshaw Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

The workplace and nurses with a mental illnessEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
A qualitative approach was used to explore workplace experiences of nurses who have a mental illness. Interview transcripts from 29 nurses in New South Wales, Australia were subjected to discourse analysis. One significant finding was a theme depicting the need for support and trust. This superordinate theme encompassed four subelements: declaring mental illnesses, collegial support, managerial support, and enhancing support. Most of the participants portrayed their workplace as an unsupportive and negative environment. A number of colleagues were depicted as having little regard for the codes for professional nursing prac...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - November 2, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Terry Joyce, Margaret McMillan, Michael Hazelton Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

A qualitative study of mental health nurse identities: Many roles, one professionEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The aim of the study was to clarify and build upon current understandings of mental health nurse (MHN) identity. The study adopted a framework of social constructionism and qualitative methodology. Semistructured interviews were conducted, which were thematically analyzed using Nvivo software. Twenty-five MHN were recruited across three geographical sites in the UK. Participants constructed a cluster of seven MHN identity characteristics that constituted a unique contribution to talk-based therapies. These themes of characteristics are: (i) the MHN as generic specialist; (ii) the MHN as adopting a service-user focus; (iii)...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - November 2, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: John Hurley Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

Physical health and severe mental illness: If we don't do something about it, who will?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
(Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing)
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - September 4, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Richard Gray, Sheila Hardy, Kathryn Hoehn Anderson Tags: Guest Editorial Source Type: journals

Redressing the balance in mental health nursing education: Arguments for a values-based approachEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Evidence-based practice (EBP) has become a dominant epistemology in nursing education, and has devalued the complex interpersonal components of mental health nursing. A curriculum for mental health nursing, which values the personhood of service users, should focus on those processes that promote recovery within a therapeutic relationship committed to collaboration and respect for diversity. These relationships become possible where the preparation of mental health nurses for practice includes an examination of self in terms of beliefs and values and their consequences on others. The combination of action and reflection in...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - September 2, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Jeanette Hewitt Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

Caregiver experience in mental illness: A perspective from a rural community in South AfricaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study explores the experiences of informal family caregivers of persons with mental illness in a rural area in South Africa. Data were collected through eight individual semistructured interviews of informal caregivers who cared for relatives with mental illness and collect medications monthly at a community clinic in the Makhuduthamaga local municipality in Limpopo, South Africa. A qualitative research design was used, which was explorative, descriptive, and contextual. The data analysis revealed four major themes: (i) experiences of providing for physiological/physical needs; (ii) experiences of providing for emotio...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - September 2, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Thandisizwe R. Mavundla, Ferenc Toth, Makua L. Mphelane Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

Preparing mental health nurses for the future workforce: An exploration of postgraduate education in Victoria, AustraliaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Problems with recruitment and retention in the mental health nursing workforce have been consistently acknowledged in the Australian literature. An Australian workforce scoping study conducted in 1999 revealed a significant shortfall between the number of nurses completing postgraduate mental health nursing programmes and both current and future workforce demands. Despite this, there has been no systematic analysis of these programmes to explain why they are not meeting workforce expectations. The primary aim of the current study was to elicit information about the number of applicants, enrolments, and completions during t...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - September 2, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Brenda Happell, Karla Gough Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

Personality traits among burnt out and non-burnt out health-care personnel at the same workplaces: A pilot studyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Stress-related illnesses, such as burnout, have increased over the last decade, but not everyone at the same workplace develops burnout, suggesting that individual factors may contribute to this phenomenon. The aim of this study was to describe patterns of personality traits among two groups of health-care personnel from the same workplaces, one group on sick leave due to medically-assessed burnout, and one group with no indication of burnout, respectively. Fourteen psychiatric- (n = 7) and elderly (n = 7)-care units, located in one specific area in a municipality in northern Sweden, participated in this questionnaire-base...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - September 2, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Gabriella Gustafsson, Birgitta Persson, Sture Eriksson, Astrid Norberg, Gunilla Strandberg Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

Patients' experiences of absconding from a psychiatric setting in IndonesiaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Absconding from psychiatric institutions is a relatively common phenomenon. Yet patients' experience of absconding is a perspective that has received little attention in the West and none in Indonesia. A case study using mixed methods was undertaken in order to provide a profile of absconding events over a 1-year period in a psychiatric setting in Indonesia. In the qualitative phase of the study, in a semistructured interview, 16 patients who absconded described their experiences of absconding. Three themes of experience were identified: the call to home, hopes and realities, and us and them. The call to home theme describ...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - September 2, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Intansari Nurjannah, Mary FitzGerald, Kim Foster Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

Self-esteem in patients treated for anorexia nervosaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Anorexia nervosa (AN) mainly affects girls or women between 13 and 45 years of age. According to previous studies, one of the reasons for the desire to be thin is low self-esteem. The purpose of the study was to examine the self-esteem of 38 female patients with AN between 16 and 25 years of age, before and after 3 months of treatment at a specialist ward for eating disorders in Göteborg, Sweden. A quantitative pre- and post-assessment based on two self-rating questionnaires, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE-S) and three subscales (weight phobia, body dissatisfaction, and ineffectiveness) of Eating Disorder Inventory-...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - September 2, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Ewa Karpowicz, Ingela Skärsäter, Lauri Nevonen Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

A qualitative exploration of communication within the community mental health teamEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This qualitative study sought to explore conceptual models employed by community mental health team (CMHT) staff in the care of their clients and how CMHT clinicians communicated with one another, particularly in relation to complex clinical work. The qualitative method of interpretive phenomenological analysis was used, and semistructured in-depth interviews with seven UK CMHT clinicians were conducted and analyzed. Four themes were evident in the data and showed that clinicians face complex and competing demands and draw on a range of therapeutic models in their work. It was also clear that much discussion centred primar...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - September 2, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Jenny Donnison, Andrew R. Thompson, Graham Turpin Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

An examination of frequent nursing interventions and outcomes in an adolescent psychiatric inpatient unitEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Little is known about which nursing interventions used in adolescent psychiatric inpatient treatment demonstrate improvements in outcome in the 'real world' setting, despite an increase in external outcomes reporting requirements.This paper examines nursing and other multidisciplinary interventions commonly used at the Youth Inpatient Unit, Christchurch, New Zealand, in relation to improvements in outcomes as measured by the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales for Children and Adolescents, utilizing data gathered prospectively as part of an ongoing quality assurance and outcomes project. We found the majority of interventi...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - September 2, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Candace Bobier, Joanne Dowell, Harith Swadi Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

Building a caring societyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
(Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing)
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - July 5, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Sally Chan Tags: Guest Editorial Source Type: journals

Psychopharmacology for Health ProfessionalsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
(Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing)
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - July 1, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Timothy Wand Tags: Book Reviews Source Type: journals

Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 2nd editionEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
(Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing)
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - July 1, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Dianne Wynaden Tags: Book Reviews Source Type: journals

Letter to the EditorEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
(Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing)
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - July 1, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Margaret McAllister Tags: Letter to the Editor Source Type: journals

Effect of music on depression levels and physiological responses in community-based older adultsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Many people over the age of 65 do not regard depression as a treatable mental disorder and find it difficult to express themselves verbally. Listening to music can facilitate the non-verbal expression of emotion and allow people's inner feelings to be expressed without being threatened. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of music on depression levels in elderly people. A randomized controlled study was conducted with 47 elderly people (23 using music and 24 controls) who completed the study after being recruited in Hong Kong. Blood pressure, heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), and depression level variab...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - July 1, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Moon Fai Chan, Engle Angela Chan, Esther Mok, Fionca Yuk Kwan Tse Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

Negotiating complexities: An ethnographic study of intellectual disability and mental health nursing in New ZealandEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This paper presents the findings from a study undertaken to describe nursing practice in one dual diagnosis (DD; coexisting mental illness and intellectual disability) inpatient unit in New Zealand. A focused ethnographic approach (using fieldwork observations, a review of documents, and five semistructured interviews) was used to gather data. A model of culture was used to analyze data to allow a description of DD nursing practice. Additionally, this framework allowed for an exploration of the artefacts, values, and assumptions that underpin these practices. Three key themes emerged from the data: keeping everyone safe, m...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - July 1, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Chris Taua, Tony Farrow Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

Transition to psychiatric/mental health nursing programs: Expectations and practical considerationsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Mental health services have developed transition programs to attract staff, including new graduates, staff with mental health nursing experience without formal qualifications, experienced nurses wishing to move into mental health, and nurses returning to the workforce. Transition to psychiatric/mental health programs are considered to be particularly significant in the mental health field because of the relative under-representation of mental health content in undergraduate curricula. Unfortunately, transition programs have received only minor attention in the literature and there is a paucity of published evaluations to d...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - July 1, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Michelle Cleary, Jan Horsfall, Brenda Happell Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

Empirical studies of clinical supervision in psychiatric nursing: A systematic literature review and methodological critiqueEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The objective of this paper was to systematically review and critically evaluate all English language research papers reporting empirical studies of clinical supervision in psychiatric nursing. The first part of the search strategy was a combination of brief and building block strategies in the PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO databases. The second part was a citation pearl growing strategy with reviews of 179 reference lists. In total, the search strategy demonstrated a low level of precision and a high level of recall. Thirty four articles met the criteria of the review and were systematically evaluated using three checklist...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - July 1, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Niels Buus, Henrik Gonge Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

Cochrane Reviews of non-medication-based psychotherapeutic and other interventions for schizophrenia, psychosis, and bipolar disorder: A systematic literature reviewEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Mental health-care professionals are striving to keep up to date with health interventions that are effective and beneficial to patients. The Cochrane Reviews make available a systematic and up-to-date review of a comprehensive range of health interventions. We identified a total of 28 interventions from a systematic search and review of the Cochrane Reviews for either schizophrenia, psychosis, schizoaffective, or bipolar disorder. These interventions have been graded into tables of: strong support that merits application, moderate support that warrants consideration of application, not supported, and data that is deemed i...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - July 1, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Xenia Tricia Jung, Richard Newton Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

Duly Authorized Officers' practices under mental health law in New Zealand: Are nurses meeting the requirements of the law?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act (1992) introduced a number of statutory roles that are undertaken by mental health nurses. One of these roles is that of Duly Authorized Officer (DAO). The DAO is responsible for the procedural requirements necessary to facilitate compulsory assessment. Under Section 9(2)(d), the DAO is required to ensure that the purpose of the assessment and the requirements of the notice of assessment are explained to the person in the presence of a member of their family, a caregiver, or other person concerned with the welfare of the person. Three recent High Court decisions u...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - July 1, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Brian McKenna, Katey Thom, Anthony O'Brien, Sally Crene, Alexander Simpson Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

Finding voice: Promoting the right of free speech for mental health nursesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
(Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing)
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - May 7, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Brenda Happell Tags: Editorial Source Type: journals

A Multidisciplinary Handbook of Child and Adolescent Mental Health for Front-line Professionals, 2nd EditionEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
(Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing)
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - May 6, 2009 Category: Nursing Tags: Book Review Source Type: journals

Letters to the EditorEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
(Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing)
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - May 6, 2009 Category: Nursing Tags: Letters to the Editor Source Type: journals

Binary construct analysis of forensic psychiatric nursing in the UK: High, medium, and low security servicesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The aim of this study was to identify if differences in perceptions of the role of forensic psychiatric nurses exist across the three levels of secure psychiatric provision: high, medium, and low. Any differences may reflect the type of clinical conditions found in different levels of security provision. An information-gathering schedule containing a validated 7-point Likert scale was distributed to 1200 forensic psychiatric nurses across the UK in 2005. A response rate of 34.6 was achieved, with 122 from high-security, 159 from medium-security, and 135 from low-security services. Differences in perceptions regarding role ...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - May 6, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Tom Mason, Lisa King, Julie Dulson Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

Improving clinicians' attitudes toward providing feedback on routine outcome assessmentsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study aims to assess changes in clinicians' attitudes to ROA, and in particular, the provision of feedback from such assessments following a training workshop. Ninety-six mental health workers attended a training workshop on ROA, which was supported by the use of a CD-ROM video resource. Participants completed a questionnaire before and after training that assessed their attitudes toward ROA and the provision of feedback from these assessments. Attitudes toward feedback were predominantly positive at baseline. Significantly more positive attitudes on general attitudes and specific attitudes related to the provision of...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - May 6, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Aimee Willis, Frank P. Deane, Tim Coombs Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

Introducing peer-group clinical supervision: An action research projectEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Clinical supervision (CS) has been found to be beneficial in the role development of nurses and can contribute to increased job satisfaction and reduced burnout. However, implementing CS can be resource intensive, and there are few accounts of it being implemented in developing countries. Ten psychiatric nurses in Trinidad engaged in an action research project over a 5-month period to develop, implement, and undertake an initial evaluation of a model of peer-group CS for use in routine practice. The participants were involved in undertaking peer-group CS and contributing to monthly focus groups to reflect on the practices ...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - May 6, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Richard Lakeman, Christine Glasgow Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

Sexuality of people living with a mental illness: A collaborative challenge for mental health nursesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article is a review of the literature examining the sexuality of mental health consumers and the role of mental health nurses. A search identified 72 English articles on the topic. The evidence clearly indicates that sexuality is a critical aspect of who we are as individuals, and of how we view ourselves, but discussion of this topic is neglected by mental health nurses. Discussion focuses upon the wide acceptance of sexuality as a legitimate area for nurses to address in their care, and addresses mental health nurses' lack of knowledge about sexuality, conservative attitudes, and anxiety when discussing sexual issue...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - May 6, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Chris Quinn, Graeme Browne Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

Are symptoms associated with increased levels of perceived stress in first-episode psychosis?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Several studies report on the presence of external stress and life events prior to the onset and exacerbation of psychotic illness. However, the relationship between the subjective appraisal of stress at first presentation with psychosis is less well understood. This paper reports on the relationship between the individual perception of stress and symptomatology in individuals with first-episode psychosis at presentation to community mental health services. We assessed 123 individuals using standardized measures of symptoms, quality of life, perceived stress, global functioning, and duration of untreated psychosis. At firs...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - May 6, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Laoise Renwick, Deirdre Jackson, Niall Turner, Marie Sutton, Sharon Foley, Stephen McWilliams, Anthony Kinsella, Eadbhard O'Callaghan Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

Implications of evidence-based practice for mental health nursingEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The introduction of evidence-based practice (EBP) and the hierarchical approach to evidence it engenders within research and evaluation has aroused controversy in the mental health professions. The aim of this paper is to present a critique of EBP with a specific relationship to mental health nursing. It will be argued that in its current form, EBP presents a potential impediment to the facilitation of consumer participation in mental health services and to the recovery model. The need for the consumer voice and the importance of the lived experience of mental illness are not readily reconciled with a strong scientific par...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - May 6, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Jacklin E. Fisher, Brenda Happell Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

Humanistic educational theory and the socialization of preregistration mental health nursing studentsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In the present study, humanistic educational theory is juxtaposed against forms of socialization that run counter to its precepts and values. It is suggested that, in theory at least, humanistic principles (broadly defined) underpin UK preregistration mental health student training, but that in practice, humanist theory is subverted or destabilized by external social pressures. To support this claim, work by Margaret Archer on the hegemonic role of the state in educational resourcing, planning, and delivery is introduced. This paper questions the integrity and intelligibility of current student experience. It also presents...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - May 6, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Martin Lipscomb, Avril Ishmael Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

Art psychotherapy in a consumer diagnosed with borderline personality disorder: A case studyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This case study reviews 11 sessions of art psychotherapy with a consumer diagnosed with having borderline personality disorder. A consumer who reported difficulty in communicating her lived trauma verbally and engaged in self-harming behaviour was offered individual art therapy sessions following a consultation between an art therapy student and clinical nurse consultant in an attempt to understand her experiences and to collaboratively engage her. Notes were taken after each session by the art therapy student, reflecting conversations with this consumer while they were engaged in art making, which were subsequently explor...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - May 6, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Scott Lamont, Scott Brunero, Dianne Sutton Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

Powerlessness, marginalized identity, and silencing of health concerns: Voiced realities of women living with a mental health diagnosisEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Using a feminist qualitative approach, this study substantiated many earlier research findings that document how women with a mental health diagnosis experience unequal access to comprehensive health care compared to the general population. Accounts of this disparity are documented in the literature, yet the literature has failed to record or attend to the voices of those living with mental health challenges. In this paper, women living with a mental health diagnosis describe their experiences as they interface with the health-care system. The participating women's stories clearly relate the organizational and interpersona...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - May 6, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Susan Van Den Tillaart, Donna Kurtz, Penny Cash Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

The 'deep dynamics' of the discipline of mental health nursingEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
(Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing)
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - March 6, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: John Cutcliffe Tags: Guest Editorial Source Type: journals

Systematic screening for metabolic syndrome in consumers with severe mental illnessEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The high prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in people with a mental illness has been reported recently in the literature. Gaps have emerged in the widespread use of systematic screening methods that identify this collection of critical risk factors for cardiac and metabolic disorders in people with severe mental illness. A sample (n = 103) of consumers with severe mental illness was screened for MetS using the Metabolic Syndrome Screening Tool and compared to a sample (n = 72) of consumers who were not receiving a systematic approach to screening for MetS. The results demonstrated ad hoc screening of consumers for Met...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - March 5, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Scott Brunero, Scott Lamont Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

Testing and using Goldberg's General Health Questionnaire: Mental health in relation to home nursing, home help, and family care among older, care-dependent individualsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The aims of this study were to test the Norwegian version of Goldberg's 30-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-30) in a group of older, care-dependent individuals living at home; to describe self-reported mental health; and to relate mental health to receiving home nursing, home help, and family care. A sample of 234 home nursing patients in Norway aged 75 years and older was interviewed. Mental state was assessed using the GHQ-30. Reliability and validity were calculated with Spearman's rank correlations, Cronbach's alpha coefficient, and Mann[ndash]Whitney U-test. The factor analysis was performed using the principal ...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - March 5, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Bjørg Dale, Hans Inge Sævareid, Olle Söderhamn Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

Long-term homelessness in men with a psychosis: Limitation of servicesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
A proportion of persistently homeless men with psychosis are unable to function in the community, despite intensive outreach. The present study aimed to (i) develop a method to measure the number of homeless clients with a psychosis who are unable to maintain basic levels of function, despite the application of intensive community treatment; and (ii) determine if the proportion of these men had increased in an Australian inner urban setting over a 5-year period. Criteria were developed and validated to define this group. A review of records of clients engaged in homeless settings was conducted in order to compare the propo...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - March 5, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Adam Burns, Alan Robins, Mark Hodge, Alex Holmes Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

Psychiatry, mental health nurses, and invisible power: Exploring a perturbed relationship within contemporary mental health careEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Interpersonal relationships, although considered to be the cornerstone of therapeutic engagement, are replete with issues of power; yet, the concept of 'invisible power' within such formal mental health care relationships is seldom explored and/or critiqued in the literature. This paper involves an examination of power in the interpersonal relationship between the mental health nurse and the consumer. Issues of power are emphasized by drawing on examples from clinical experiences, each of which is then deconstructed as an analytical means to uncover the different layers of power. This examination highlights the existence o...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - March 5, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: John Cutcliffe, Brenda Happell Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

Vulnerable populations and multicentred researchEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
There are many challenges facing researchers with projects requiring multicentred ethics approval. Achieving ethical approval at multiple sites, whether statewide or nationally, is a complex and time-consuming experience, compounded by the research process itself, as well as the recruitment of clinical sites and participants. Human ethics and research committees act as research gatekeepers and, as many research activities involve multiple applications and multiple approvals, can considerably delay the commencement of a project. A delay in ethics approval results in delays recruiting staff and participants, delays in the ut...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - March 5, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Kay McCauley-Elsom, Caroline Gurvich, Susan Lee, Stephen Elsom, Margaret O'Connor, Jayashri Kulkarni Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

Learning from experience: Using action research to discover consumer needs in post-seclusion debriefingEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Approximately 16% of consumers are secluded during an inpatient admission. Despite the harmful psychological consequences resulting from the use of physical force, restraint, control, and temporary sequestration of therapeutic communication, there is little evidence of nursing practices to support consumers who are secluded. This paper will outline the findings from an action research project examining post-seclusion debriefing practice. A series of focus groups was undertaken with mental health nurses (MHN) and consumer consultants (CC) to investigate current practice, identify consumer/clinician preferences, and scope fu...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - March 5, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Rob Ryan, Brenda Happell Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals

The feeling of being trapped in and ashamed of one's own body: A qualitative study of women who suffer from eating difficultiesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The aim of this study was to explore women's bodily experiences of suffering from eating difficulties (ED). The research question was: How do women who suffer from ED experience the bodily aspects related to their condition? Women suffering from ED experience problems in both the physical and emotional areas. Few qualitative studies have specifically addressed sufferers' bodily experiences related to ED. An explorative design was used. The data were collected by means of focus group interviews on the subject of ED-related problems, guilt and shame, and being a mother. The interpretation of the qualitative data was inspired...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - March 5, 2009 Category: Nursing Authors: Kristine Rørtveit, Sture Åström, Elisabeth Severinsson Tags: Feature Articles Source Type: journals