Definition Of Community Mental Health Nursing

This act was the direct outcome of community psychiatry president kennedy s message to congress asking for a bold new approach as well as.

Definition of community mental health nursing. What does a community mental health nurse do. The patients may be in a special locked psychiatric unit a hospital a nursing home or out in the community. Mental health nurses have worked within the community for many years following the mass closure of psychiatric asylums in the 1970 s and 80s however it is perhaps now more than ever that rmns registered mental health nurses are provided with career opportunities and pathways which do not involve working in a hospital at all. Community mental psychiatric nursing is the application of specialized knowledge to population communities to promote and maintain mental health to rehabilitate population at risk.

Community mental health care includes provision of crisis support protected housing and sheltered employment in addition to management of disorders to address the multiple needs of individuals. Community services include supported housing with full or partial supervision including halfway houses psychiatric wards of general hospitals including partial hospitalization local primary care medical services day centers or clubhouses community mental health centers and self help groups for mental health. The community mental health nurse is a professional who works in collaboration with an interdisciplinary clinical team to provide specialized support to families and clients who are experiencing mental health challenges some of which can include anxiety depression personality and eating disorders addiction to drugs or alcohol and host of. In 1963 congress passed the community mental health centers act authorizing an appropriation of 150 million dollars to finance up to two thirds of the cost of construction of comprehensive treatment facilities in communities throughout the country.

Sharan in international encyclopedia of public health 2008. A mental health nurse may treat patients who are suffering from depression schizophrenia bipolar disorder or a psychosis. Mental health nursing also known as psychiatric nursing is a branch of nursing practice which focuses on the care of people with mental illness psychological disorders and emotional distress nurses in this field receive nursing training which is supplemented by training in psychology and the administration of psychiatric care.