Mental health nursing encompasses a wide range of practices aimed at improving the emotional and psychological health of those who suffer from mental illness. Assisting people in meeting their mental health needs, preventing mental illness, and promoting recovery are the responsibilities of mental health nurses.

1. NATURE AND SCOPE
OF MENTAL HEALTH
NURSING
Dr. Senthil Thirusangu
Department of Psychiatric
Senthilamma.t@gmail.com

2. INTRODUCTION
• Psychiatric–mental health nursing is a specialized area
of nursing practice committed to promoting mental health
through the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of
behavioral problems, psychiatric disorders and comorbid
conditions.
• Psychiatric–mental health nursing intervention is an art
and a science, employing a purposeful use of self and a wide
range of nursing, psychosocial, and neurobiological research
evidence to produce effective outcomes.

3. DEFINITION OF MENTAL
HEALTH NURSING
• Psychiatric mental Health Nursing is an integral part of the continuum of
nursing practice. The American Nurses’ Association (ANA) describes psychiatric
mental health nursing as a specialized area of nursing practice committed to
promoting mental health through the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of
human responses to mental health problems and psychiatric disorders (ANA,
2007).
• As a core mental health profession, psychiatric mental health nursing employs
a purposeful use of self as its art and a wide range of nursing, psychosocial, and
neurobiological theories and research evidence as its science (ANA, 2007).

4. GOALS
• The primary goal for psychiatric nurses is client mental
health. Four major objectives for achieving those goals are:
 Promotion of mental health
 Prevention of mental disorders
 Treatment for clients with mental disorders
 Restoration of health.

5. SCOPES IN PSYCHIATRIC
MENTAL HEEALTH NURSING
• Psychiatric Mental Health registered nurses practice in a variety of clinical
settings across the continuum of care and engage in broad array of clinical
activities including health promotion and health maintenance, intake screening,
evaluation and triage, case management, provision of therapeutic and safe
environment, promotion of self care activities, administration of
psychobiological treatment regimens and monitoring response and effects,
crisis intervention and stabilization, and psychiatric rehabilitation.

6. CONT…
• The scope of practice in psychiatric mental health nursing is
continually expanding as the context of practice, the need for
patient access to holistic care, and the various scientific and
nursing bases evolve. It is within the scope of practice of the
psychiatric mental health nurse to provide primary mental health
care to patients seeking mental health services in a wide range of
delivery setting.

7. Primary Mental Health
Nursing:
• Psychiatric nurses are moving into the domain of
primary care and working with other nurses and
physicians to diagnose and treat psychiatric illness in
patients with somatic complains. Cardiovascular,
gynaecological, respiratory, and gastrointestinal, and
family practice settings are appropriate for assessing
patients for anxiety, depression, and substance abuse
disorders.

8. Registered Psychiatric Mental
Health Nursing:
• A registered Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse provides psychiatric mental
health care to individuals, families, and groups to enable them to enable them to
function at an optimal level of psychological wellness through more effective
adaptive behaviours and increased resilience to stress.
• She must be able to provide safe, basic physical care, have a wide
understanding of psychological and developmental problems and their treatment
and have a highly developed level of communication skills. She works children,
adolescents, adults, and elderly with dysfunctional behaviour patterns, and
developmental handicaps.

9. CONT….
• Nurse Generalist: a licensed nurse providing primary mental
health care. Holistic approach, prevention programmes, community
and day care centers, psychiatric rehabilitation facilities, homeless
shelters etc.
• Nurse Specialist: Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS):
have a master degree in mental health nursing. Autonomous
functioning, prescription privileges, manages overall care of
emotional and psychiatric problems. Eg. Crisis Interventio0n
specialists, Milieu Specialists, Psychotherapists etc.

10. CONT..
• Community Mental Health Nurse (CMHN):
Diagnosis, appropriate referrals, care and rehabilitation
of mentally ill people in the community.
• Psychiatric Home Care Nurse: direct patient care,
behavioral management, crisis intervention, psycho
education, detoxification, medication etc.
• Forensic Psychiatric Nurse: works with individuals
who have entered the legal system

11. CONT…
• Psychiatric Consultation - Liaison Nurse PCLN:
Psychiatric nurse who work in non- psychiatric setting and
provide necessary support, guidance and counselling for those
affected with anxiety, depression and other psychological
problems.
• Case Manager: Nurse manager acts as advocates by
coordinating care and linking patient with physician and other
members of health care team. Works in community and
helping in daily living of a mentally ill person such as
transportation, managing money, buying things etc.

12. CONT…
• Gero -Psychiatric Nurse
• Parish Nurse: An RN with spiritual mature. Supports health
education, social services, and carry out non-invasive nursing
care. Common in US.
• Tele health / Tele nurse: Nurses engaged in tele-nursing
practice use technologies such as internet, computers,
telephones, digital assessment tools & tele-monitoring
equipment to deliver nursing care. In India around 10 hospitals
are having telemedicine departments. Eg. Apollo hospitals,
Narayana Hrudayalaya.

13. CONT….
• Nurse Researcher:
• Nurse researchers design, conduct & disseminate findings of
research at professional meets & in peer reviewed journals.
They are doctorally or post-doctorally prepared persons who
initiate or participate in all phases of the research process.
• Psychiatric Nurse Educator:
• Nurse Administrator/Manager
• Nurse Pharmacologist: The psychiatric clinical nurse specialist
with prescriptive authority.
• Holistic Nurse: Integrates complementary and alternative
modalities such as relaxation,

14. NATURE OF PSYCHIATRIC
NURSING
It is a profession possessing its unique history,
ideology, knowledge and skills.
It is both an art (nurse – patient relationship) and a
science (skills for the purpose of gaining insight,
effective change, healing mental and emotional
wounds and promoting growth).
Understands the principles of nursing and
remain current in knowledge and practice.

15. • Every individual has intrinsic worth and dignity
and is worthy of respect.
• Each person functions as holistic and react to
environment as a whole.
• All behaviour of an individual is meaningful. It can
be understood from an internal frame of the patient.
• Behaviour has perceptions, thoughts, feelings and
actions. Individuals vary in their coping capacities.
All are prone for health and illness.

16. • Nursing is aimed to promote wellness,
maximize functioning and enhance self
actualization.
• IPR can produce change in growth of an
individual.
• Psychiatric nursing is based on
psychosocial and biophysical sciences

17. Case management
•Using case management, a psychiatric mental health nurse is responsible for
assessing needs, identifying services, and monitoring and evaluating client
states. A case manager co- ordinates care through collaboration with all involved
health professionals ensuring accessibility and availability of care.
•Case management for the psychiatric mental health nurses involves population
specific nursing knowledge coupled with research, knowledge of the social and
legal systems related to mental health and expertise to engage a wide range of
services for the patient to engage a wide range of services for the patient,
regardless of setting.