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Jane,

Here are 2 posts and I need a response for each. Pretty broad stuff. It’s juts asking you to add insight about social change. Should be easy for you. Thanks!

Case 1 ANAST

It is unfortunate that a lot of people do not recognize how mental health is. Mental health has been looked at and it is a stigma that affects the people who suffer from the sickness. People with mental health are termed as being “crazy”, this is also seen a lot especially if a person is violent, but this is far from being the truth. Price (2014) tends to be different and states that with the utilization of psychopharmacological therapies, violence, and criminal activity can reduce in society if the patient with psychiatric issues is medicated. Society has developed a mindset of what they believe to be ordinary, any change from that is believed not to be fit. Advocating for our patients includes being able to protect them from harm, offering them information to make informed decisions and fostering collaboration, being supportive when they make choices, and communicating their likings Corrigan and Al-Khouja (2018). Wellness programs and Mental health seminars can be an outreach to teach about mental illness and how to enhance the individual’s quality of life while also improving society.

My hope is to be a social change by developing the literacy of the patients and the community at large as a nurse practitioner. The ability to educate the patients and their family members that mental illness is not a debilitating sickness and that someone can be successful in life even with a mental health diagnosis are important. Being able to educate about adherence to medication, follow up with doctors’ appointments, and even psychotherapy can all be used in managing a mental illness. According to Rosenthal and Burchum (2018), family and patient education could mean the difference between improved healthcare costs and at-home management. For this vulnerable population that undergoes so much discrimination in all settings, there must be strategic measures put in place. A lot of members in these stigmatized groups become fearful of how others will treat them thus they choose not to talk or tell about their diagnosis Dingfelder (2009). We as future NP’s using organizations like the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA) to fight for and get the rights for mental health patients.

Promoting treatment engagement, rightful goal achievement, and the enabling of self -worth are the agendas that can be used to battle mental health stigma (Corrigan and Al-Khouja 2008). They further explained that participants with low self-esteem in the study reported that their rights and self-esteem were of more importance to them. Another way to teach the community about mental health and the stigmatization that is associated with it is the public health campaigns. As future providers, we should always strive to meet the goal of patient rights. It is not rare that we see patients getting discharged due to their decision-making abilities. Setting time aside to educate the patient and family members about the steps that can be taken to let the patient do as much as they can and allow them independence as much as possible. The participation of patient’s in their plan of care helps increase their compliance with medication Rosenthal and Burchum (2018). An additional way to advocate for change is going through the state representatives who can be able to advocate for the change to become law.

Reference

Corrigan, P. W., & Al-Khouja, M. A. (2018). Three agendas for changing the public stigma of mental illness. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 41(1), 1–7. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1037/prj0000277

Dingfelder, S. F. (2009, June). Stigma: Alive and well. Monitor on Psychology, 40(6). http://www.apa.org/monitor/2009/06/stigma

Price, L. H. (2014). Violence in America: Is psychopharmacology the answer? Brown University Psychopharmacology Update, 25(8), 5.

Rosenthal, L. D., & Burchum, J. R. (2018). Lehne’s pharmacotherapeutics for advanced practice providers. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.

Case 2 KEEL

Positive social change entails participating in activities targeted toward improving the lives of people in a community. Nurses play a significant role in enhancing social change, especially for psychiatric mental health. They help promote and support an individual's recovery, empowering them to be in control and more engaged in their lives and society. Mental health problems result from an interplay of factors such as social, psychological, and physical factors. There are several ways a nurse can foster social change for mental health, including building good relationships with patients, directly or indirectly advocating for healthy behavior in mental health patients, making timely diagnoses, and recommending relevant interventions. As a nurse practitioner, I intend to apply the approaches mentioned above to promote social change concerning mental health in my community.

Lack of knowledge on the range of mental illness symptoms and understanding the right course of action can significantly impact the treatment and management. This creates the need for nurse practitioners to assist in the recognition and treatment of psychiatric conditions. Most mental health patients are hardly aware of their disorders unless experts or individuals have identified them on their behalf. Additionally, a critical determinant that causes failure to manage and treat psychiatric disorders is an inadequate response attributed to limited access to mental health care (Lake & Turner, 2017). With sufficient knowledge of the array of symptoms and treatment modalities, I can help promote social change for mental health in my community. Therefore, assisting individuals and families in identifying specific mental illness conditions is the first step toward improving people’s lives.

Additionally, having excellent nurse-patient relationships plays a pivotal role in promoting social change for psychiatric mental health. Extant research proves that clients value therapeutic alliances with care providers in community settings because they are integral to the recovery process (Hartley, Raphael, Lovell, & Berry, 2020). Consequently, creating effective relationships with the individuals under my care maximizes positive outcomes. One of the approaches in this aspect entails encouraging openness with clients about the care plan and involving them in decision-making. Moreover, I will act professionally around them to build their confidence in my capabilities to help them heal. The vitality of establishing a good therapeutic alliance is highly significant in imparting social change on varying communal levels beginning with the family level.

The main impact of mental health illness is on an individual's mood, thinking, and behavior, indicating the significance of reinforcing healthy behavior in patients. Some of the standard techniques effective in enhancing behavior change include self-monitoring, risk communication, and social support use (Van Achterberg, et al., 2011). Advocating for healthy behavior in mental health patients is vital in enhancing their treatment results. I commit to directly encourage good behavior by complimenting and acknowledging it in patients when I noticed and indirectly by giving assessment reports to them.

Overall, social change for mental health is a multifaceted endeavor that requires a collective approach to achieve a significant impact. As a nurse, my role in facilitating social change is in my direct interaction with patients. I aim to promote mental health change by building excellent relationships with patients, reinforcing good behavior, and assisting individuals and families at the community level to identify and effectively treat mental illnesses. Impacting an entire community begins with one individual.

References

Hartley, S., Raphael, J., Lovell, K., & Berry, K. (2020). Effective nurse-patient relationships in mental health care: A systematic review of interventions to improve the therapeutic alliance. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2019.103490

Lake, J., & Turner, M. S. (2017). Urgent need for improved mental health care and a more collaborative model of care. The Permanente Journal, 21, 17-24. https://doi.org/10.7812/TPP/17-024

Van Achterberg, T., Huisman-de Waal, G. G., Ketelaar, N. A., Oostendorp, R. A., Jacobs, J. E., & Wollersheim, H. C. (2011). How to promote healthy behaviors in patients? An overview of evidence for behavior change techniques. Health Promotion International, 26(2), 148-162. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daq050