ESSAY

Scope of Mental Health Nursing

Scope of Mental Health Nursing

Introduction

In this essay, there will be discussion of the patient who is suffering from mental health problems. The name of the patient is Cheryl. She is a widow and she is 66 years old. She has been referred to the mental health team by her GP. Owing to the mental problems of Cheryl, there has also been affect on her physical health. She has lost her weight tot great extent and she often forgets to eat. Although she has two daughters but She has been living alone after the death of her husband. Her husband has passed away six months ago. He was suffering from cancer. Before the death of her husband, she had a very active life. She was very social prior to her husband's death and enjoyed travelling and roaming with her friends. Her husband was suffering from cancer, and due to his illness, she also retired at the age of 64. She had been working as a full time secretary before her retirement. It can be ascertained from the scenario of Cheryl that the main cause of her illness is the loss of her husband. She even forgets to eat which adversely affects her health.

Discussion

Case Overview

The mental health is very important for a person. If a mind does not perform in an effective way then it will affect all other body parts. Most of the mental health problems are not given importance in our society. As most of the mental health, problems are related to the mind and cannot be felt by other s or diagnosed like fever and tuberculosis so people tend to ignore them. However, the mental health problems have far-reaching consequences for a person suffering from them (Anthony, 1993). The most common mental health problems are anxiety and depression. The mental health problems also affect the people in a similar way like the other diseases but the difference between them is that others cannot see them while others can feel other diseases. There has also been a lot of debate, controversy on what causes the mental health problems, and which treatment is effective for most of the mental health problems. Although these challenges exist but the mental health, problems can be cured in an effective way and the patients can recover from them. Some of the most common diagnosed mental health problems are depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, phobias, personality disorders and schizophrenia. The common behaviour related to the people experiencing mental health problems are self-harm, suicidal thoughts and panic attacks.

Identification and Discussion of the range of Halth Needs

Cheryl is suffering from depression due to the death of her husband. Depression is very dangerous for the person. During the depression, a person feels hopeless. Cheryl experiences the same situation, she is hopeless about her life .Similarly, depression lowers one's mood and there is no motivation in one's life (Breakey, Fischer, Kramer, Nestadt, Romanoski, Ross, & Stine, 1989). Cheryl has also lost hope in her life and ...