Career insight: Mental health demands more of nurses
There
are very few occupations one could choose to take on today that would be
untouched by mental health issues.
Every day we turn on the television or open a newspaper, mental health is in the news. On a global scale neuropsychiatric conditions account for 13 per cent of the total Disability Adjusted Life years lost due to all diseases and injuries in the world. It is estimated this will increase to 15 per cent by the year 2020.
This is probably no big news to those already working in nursing. Mental disorders represent not only an immense psychological, social and economic burden to society, but also increase the risk of physical illnesses.
And it is at the frontline, in the hospitals and clinics, that mental health issues can have an enormous impact on your working life.
Right now 27 per cent of all health-related disability in Australia is due to mental ill health and despite such a high level of mental illness in our society, it attracts only seven per cent of health expenditure. There is also serious concern about increasing numbers of people commiting suicide. People aged between 25 and 49 years account for 56 per cent of all suicides in Australia and rates are highest in men aged 25-29 years.
While mental health nursing can be a specialisation of choice, most nurses today need to know more about mental health issues as a fundamental part of best nursing practice.
Choosing to learn more about mental health nursing will make you a part of a new era of mental health reform.
There are a range of formal ways to refresh your skills, but there are also some personal commitments that can contribute to improved mental health outcomes. You need a desire to work with others to help remove the stigma of seeking help for psychosocial problems, to enhance health literacy and change the way care is practised. Treating suicidal ideation and life- threatening behaviour means learning about the evidence on suicide prevention at both the program level and as part of Australia's National Mental Health Strategy – www.health.gov.au/internet/wcms/Publishing.nsf/Content/mentalhealth-mhinfo-nmhs-index.htm
You also need to be comfortable with the idea of being a reflective practitioner, able to appreciate the dynamics of a client needing to reveal their inner life and help them to take risks and do things differently.
There is enormous therapeutic value in reaching out to connect with
people who are confused, angry, withdrawn, depressed or suicidal. Connecting
and developing trust during periods of acute and excruciating vulnerability
and helping people to experiment with new skills are essential ingredients
in the process of recovery.
This is never easy work. It is about making important human connections. So
it is vital that nurses who work in this field stay open to new ways of
maintaining their own mental health, ensuring that they have a sound
work/life balance.
UniSA's Associate Professor Nicholas Procter is a specialist in mental health for nurse practitioners. In 2005 he was a finalist in the Margaret Tobin Awards for Excellence in Mental Health. For program enquiries click on www.unisa.edu.au/nur/programs