The document provides an overview of key concepts in mental health and psychiatric nursing. It defines mental health as a state of well-being involving how individuals feel about themselves and others and meet life's demands. Mental illness is described as a maladjustment producing disharmony in thoughts, feelings and actions. Psychiatry deals with disorders of the mind, while psychiatric nursing diagnoses, treats and prevents mental health problems through communication. Community mental health nursing provides holistic care outside hospitals using a recovery model. Multidimensionalism involves an interdisciplinary team attending to clients' biopsychosocial and spiritual needs.

1. BASIC CONCEPTS USED IN MENTAL
HEALTH/ PSYCHIATRIC NURSING
PRESENTED BY JAPHET MYABA
SCHOOL OF NURSING, MENTAL HEALTH
DEPARTMENT
11 JULY,2022
1

2. Objectives
By the end of the lesson, you should be able
to:
•Define the basic concepts used in mental
health and psychiatric nursing
2

3. The concepts
•Mental health
•Mental illness
•Psychiatric nursing
•Psychiatry
•Community mental health nursing
•Multi-dimensionalism
3

4. 1. Mental health
•Mental health has to do with everybody’s
every day life
•It means the overall way that people get
along with their families, at school, at work ,
at play, with peers, in their communities
4

5. Cont.
•Mental health involves the way that each
person harmonizes his or her desires,
ambitions, abilities, ideals, feelings in order
to meet demands of life
5

6. Cont.
Mental health has to deal with:
•How you feel about yourself
•How you feel about other people
•How you are able to meet demands of life
6

7. Cont….
World Health Organization defines mental health
as "a state of well-being in which the individual
realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the
normal stresses of life, can work productively and
fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his
or her community".
7

8. Attributes/characteristics of a
mentally health person
How would you know a mentally health
person?
8

9. A. Feel good about themselves
A mentally healthy person:
•Is able to handle life's disappointments
•Is not overwhelmed by own emotions
such as, fear, anger, love, jealous, or guilt
•Neither underestimate nor overestimate
their abilities
•Accept their own shortcomings

10. Feel good about themselves
•Have self - respect
•Feel able to deal with most situations
•Take pleasure in simple, everyday things
•Have a tolerant, easy going attitude towards
themselves as well as others and
•Can laugh at themselves
10

11. Feel comfortable with other
people
A mentally health person:
•Is able to give love and consider the
interests of others
•Have personal relationships that are
satisfying and lasting
•Like and trust others
•Feel that others will like them
11

12. Feel comfortable with other
people
•Respect the many differences they find in
other people
•Do not take advantage of others, nor do
they allow others to take advantage of them
•Feel a sense of belonging
12

13. Able to meet demands of life
A mentally healthy person is able to:
•Solve problems as they arise
•Accept their responsibilities
•Shape their environment whenever possible
•Plan ahead and do not fear the future
•Welcome new experiences and ideas
13

14. Ask yourself these questions
•What is my level of irritability?
•What mood changes do I experience?
•Am I able to laugh at myself
•Do I underestimate or overestimate my
abilities
•Can I make decisions
•Therefore, WHO AM I?
14

15. 2. Mental illness
•Mental illness is a maladjustment in living
•Produces a disharmony in a person’s
thoughts, feelings and actions
•The person looses the ability to respond
according to the expectations he has for
himself and the demands that society has for
them
15

16. Mental disorder
•Refers to a wide range of mental health
problems that affect an individuals’ thinking,
feeling and behaviour
•Examples of mental disorders include
depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia
etc.
16

17. Cont.
•Many people have mental health problems
from time to time, but a mental health
problem becomes a disorder when ongoing
signs and symptoms cause frequent stress
and affects their ability to function
17

18. Cont.
Is Mental illness a reality in Malawi?
18

19. 3. Psychiatry
•It is a branch of medicine which deals with
the study, diagnosis, treatment, prevention
of disorders of the psyche/mind.
19

20. 4. Psychiatric nursing
•Psychiatric nursing is a specialized area of
nursing
•It is humanistic (human beings have a free
will and are able to make informed choices)
and interpersonal process that uses
communication as an essential skill
20

21. Cont.
•It diagnoses, treats and prevents mental
health problems
•Promotion of individual’s mental health and
that of the society is its goal
•Psychiatric nursing believes that every
behaviour has a meaning in life
21

22. 5. Community mental health
nursing
•Community Mental Health Nursing is a
specialized area which provides holistic
nursing services for people with mental
health issues, in a community setting using
the recovery model for care.
22

23. Cont.
•It is care given outside the hospital setting,
where comprehensive care is delivered in a
least restrictive setting and where the client
lives
23

24. Cont.
•Focuses on assessment of the community,
its population stressors and strengths.
Mental health problems are viewed as
problems of a group of people and not
individuals only
•Is concerned with promotion and preventive
aspects of mental health
24

25. 6. Multi-dimensionalism
•Multi- dimensionalism is the provision of
patient centered care by individuals from
various disciplines aimed at providing holistic
care by attending to bio-psycho-socio-
spiritual needs of individual clients
25

26. Multi-dimensionalism
26
Patient
Counsellor
Nurse
Psychiatrist
Occupational therapist
Social worker
Physician

27. QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS
27

28. 28