This text conveys the real-life experiences of clients suffering from psychiatric conditions in a manner that will stimulate and keep the reader's attention. The use of literature, art, and the human experience, coupled with qualitative and scientific research, emphasizes the need for compassionate nursing care and respect for the lived experience of others. Nursing theory helps readers learn to provide caring and nurturing as part of all interventions, while maintaining an emphasis on living with mental illness. The importance of science is evident through the theoretical and epidemiological base underlying conditions. Chapter opening reflection boxes help the reader develop critical thinking skills and the ability to deal with moral dilemmas by enticing the reader to enter the world of the mentally ill, and by introducing issues of the social and moral implications of treatment.
Emphasis is placed on considering first what the client feels and then what the client wants.
Focus on self-care encourages nurses to think about and care for themselves as well as their clients. This reflects a fundamental premise that caring for others can be done only if the caregiver is balanced and well-centered. Readers of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing will need an understanding of basic nursing skills and the nursing process. Organization Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing is composed of 32 chapters contained in five units. Unit 1 outlines the foundations for practice that underlie the psychiatric nursing process.