Elements of Culture and Mental Health-Free-Samples for Students

Question: Write an Essay on Mental Health Nursing Practice. Answer: Introduction Ethnic and racial minorities are the fastest growing part of the population around the world. But regardless of the age factor there is a disproportionaterate of mental illnesses and disorders reported in culturally diverse sector in comparison to the native population. Discrimination and racism from the healthcare providers contribute to the negative experiences that the cultural diverse patients feel (Bhui, 2013).Cultural competency is an important strategy in reducing health disparities around the world. It is more than cultural awareness, as it is a set of policies, attitudes and behaviors (Dreachslin, Gilbert, Malone, 2013). Mental illness has an impact on all aspects of our lives whether it is physical health, employment, relationships, and education. In Australia as well as in New Zealand, emphasis is being placed in providing a renewed provision of mental health services with efficiency and equity. In this essay we would analyse how the changes in the care delivery of mental health services has impacted the lives of culturally divergent population. We would also learn about the frameworks and policies that have made these changes possible. Body In the past cultural competence was designed for situations that were particular in nature but administrative services level, student training level, operational level, health practitioner level and practitioner patient level have managed to embed cultural competence in health services. Nowadays mental health services are designed to be culturally appropriate and outcome focused. The LEARN model that stands for listen, explain, acknowledge, recommend and negotiate. Have made nurses to listen to the patient problems and later explain their perceptions about the issue. ( Stuart, 2014),( Fortinash, Holoday-Worret,2012). Worldwide many organisations like NAAPIMHA or National Asian American Pacific Islander mental Health Association which are committed in enhancing mental health care under leaders like Asian American Nurse Melen McBride (Ewalds-Kvist, Algotsson, Bergstrm, Ltzn, 2012). Usually nurses are not responsible for interpretive services; still they are being trained in communicating with linguistically and culturally diverse population. Mental health nursing care goes beyond the translation services as culture and language are interchangeable. There are numerous educational programs, and consumer focused resources that help the patient and their families about the mental healthcare system. Nurse Melen McBride points how using terms like mental health consumer instead of mentally ill can encourage patients to successfully complete their treatment plans. Nurses are patients advocates that locate numerous other health professionals that can be supportive in the care of a mentally challenged pati ent. Several studies have shown that cultural minorities and refugees are more likely to develop mental illness and still lack the resources to get treatment. After the elimination of language barriers and by ensuring that the nurses are alert and responsive for mental health challenges, these barriers could be crossed. Nowadays patients are less likely to feel stereotyped about their mental illness. They are less likely to feel the anxiety that acts as a threat for their treatment. Nurses are being trained to reduce the anxiety that mental health patients feel by engaging them in discussions and advertising them as a friend (Crouch, Alers, 2014).General changes such as talking openly and being casual and upfront with patients helps them to trust the healthcare. This provides patient compliance and satisfaction. Interpersonal interaction between a nurse and patient improves the rate of successful treatment. Counseling and referral services at a community level address language need s in case of culturally diverse patients.( Jimenez, Bartels, Cardenas, Dhaliwal, Alegra, 2012) Culturally diverse patients have reported how they felt encouraged and reassured by the mental health care nurses by speaking openly with them. Each and every person has a different way of explaining how they feel about their wellbeing and mental health. Each individual has a way they express their illness. Their cultural differences contribute to impact treatment as they have different beliefs about the cause of the mental illness (Kim, Kim, 2013). Nurses have to understand that their understandings of mental illness can be very different from the beliefs that the patient has. They understand the beliefs of culturally diverse patients. This gains them the trust and respect of their patients which in turn helps in determining the shared priorities that implement and plan in effective treatment and recovery. They are aware that culture is not always synonymous of language, nationality, religious belief and ethnicity. They are trained and encouraged not to make assumptions regarding t he patient culture, which help them to avoid misinterpretation and misunderstanding. They ensure that they do not discriminate a patient on regard of their cultural and religious background (Jimenez, Bartels, Cardenas, Alegra, 2013), ( Rubenking, Campanella B C ,2015). This discrimination is a barrier to the recovery of the patient, and their treatment. This has led to patients from ethnic grounds to feel welcome and comfortable in a health care setting, as they are more open to discuss their preferences for the type of treatment they need and successfully complete it. (Rassool, 2015). Australia has always strived for culturally inclusive service delivery. One such framework is the MHIMA framework that stands for Mental Health in Multicultural Health professionals. This framework is an action oriented system that is web based at both individual and organisational level. Frameworks like these work on four key areas that are the family, consumer and carer participation, quality and safety, early intervention, promotion and prevention along with workforce. These frameworks help in encouraging better outcomes and equity for patients, families and carers. They reduce the adverse incidents by providing improved safety and quality of care. (Stanhope, Lancaster, 2014) Conclusion As the cultural diversity around the world is increasing mental health services are under great stress of understanding and responding to the local community. Cultural beliefs can strike with the definition of mental illness. Many cultures believe that mental illness and its treatment is a western concept that is threatening for their beliefs. Therefore to respond to the cultural diversity the healthcare professionals need to understand their linguistically and culturally diverse community (Stuart, 2014). It is crucial to integrate cultural competence in the clinical practice that is providing mental health care for culturally diverse sector the population as they are a vulnerable part of the population. A recent report on nursing by the Committee on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative on the Future of Nursing stated that mental health care has to be patient centric with the incorporation of cultural practices of the patients. References Bhui, K. (2013).Elements of Culture and Mental Health. London: Royal College of Psychiatrists. Crouch, R., Alers, V. (2014).Occupational Therapy in Psychiatry and Mental Health. Hoboken: Wiley. Dreachslin, J., Gilbert, M., Malone, B. (2013).Diversity and cultural competence in health care. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Imprint. Ewalds-Kvist, B., Algotsson, M., Bergstrm, A., Ltzn, K. (2012). Psychiatric Nurses Self-Rated Competence,Issues In Mental Health Nursing,33(7), 469-479. Fortinash, K., Holoday-Worret, P. (2012).Psychiatric mental health nursing. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Mosby. Jimenez, D., Bartels, S., Cardenas, V., Dhaliwal, S., Alegra, M. (2012). Cultural Beliefs and Mental Health Treatment Preferences of Ethnically Diverse Older Adult Consumers in Primary Care,The American Journal Of Geriatric Psychiatry,20(6), 533-542. Jimenez, D., Bartels, S., Cardenas, V., Alegra, M. (2013). Stigmatizing attitudes toward mental illness among racial/ethnic older adults in primary care,International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry,28(10), 1061-1068. Kim, D., Kim, S. (2013). Cultural Competence and Factors Influencing Cultural Competence in Nursing Students,Journal Of Korean Academy Of Psychiatric And Mental Health Nursing,22(3), 159. Rassool, G. (2015). Cultural Competence in Counseling the Muslim Patient: Implications for Mental Health,Archives of Psychiatric Nursing,29(5), 321-325. Rubenking, B., Campanella B, C. (2015). The Dueling Influences on Stigma toward Mental Illness: Effects of Interpersonal Familiarity and Stigmatizing Mediated Portrayals of Mental Illness on Attitudes, Studies In Media And Communication,3(2), 56-68. Stanhope, M., Lancaster, J. (2014).Public health nursing. Maryland Heights, Missouri: Elsevier Mosby. Stuart, G. (2014).Principles and Practice of Psychiatric Nursing. London: Elsevier Health Sciences.