Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing: Suicide, Analysis of Mental Health Issue

Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing: Analysis of Mental Health Issue- Suicide
Name:
Institution:
Course Title:
Instructor:
Date:
Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing: Analysis of Mental Health Issue- Suicide
Introduction
Through scientific research, recommendations have been developed for the mental health clinicians when it comes to management and assessment of suicide risk (Cutcliffe & Stevenson 2008). Nevertheless, it must be noted that no standard competencies for the psychiatric nurses is in existence. Moreover, some of the widely accepted practices for nursing are not aligned to the evidence based criteria or standards of care for the suicide specific cases. Therefore, there are several proposals that offer essential competencies based on comprehensive both quantitative and qualitative research literature. In Canada, studies reveal that both patient level and system interventions are the roles of nurses specific when it comes to the prevention of suicide (Links & Hoffman, 2005). The system level tends to assess in addition to maintaining environmental safety, it develops protocols, policies as well as practices that are consistent with tolerance to zero suicide (Cutcliffe & Stevenson 2008). The system also participates in the training of the milieu staff. At the patient level on the other hand, the nurse is mandated to assess the risks pertaining to suicide as well as the outcomes that other interventions come along with (Shea, Grimshaw & Wells, 2007). Therefore, with reference to psychiatric mental health nursing, it is expected that the outlined essential competencies would effectively provide a good foundation when it comes to training, knowledge measure, skills as well as attitudes that are deemed necessary for providing expert care.
The Analysis of Mental Health Issue- Suicide
It is of great importance that the psychiatric nurse properly understands what the phenomenon of suicide entails. This can best be understood by first defining the basic terms that relate to suicidality, need to effectively review some of the suicide-related epidemiology and statistics. Moreover, describing the protective and risk factors that are related to suicide are of great importance. Consequently, best practices and evidence-based literature that is related to the inpatient suicide prevention must be discussed in nursing (Cutcliffe & Stevenson 2008).
Secondly, there is a dire need for the psychiatric nurses to properly manage personal reactions, beliefs and attitude. This requires the demonstration of self-awareness as far as the emotional reactions, beliefs and attitudes related to the previous suicide experiences are concerned. At this juncture, the nurses’ attitudes, emotional reactions, beliefs and attitudes impact on the patients are vividly examined (Cutcliffe & Stevenson 2008). The medical practitioners in general, having accepted, need to regulate the emotional reactions concerning suicide. While managing the personal reactions, attitudes and belief, the psychiatric nurses also manages by discussing the reactions of nurses to their patients who show suicidal ideas, attempts or die by suicide. As a result, they then participate effectively in the root cause analysis as well as the effectiveness analysis in the event that the inpatient unit experiences, suicide attempt or even death (Tishler & Reiss, 2009). This should then be followed by a staff debriefing following a suicide attempt or death, after which the team obtains professional assistance plus supervision as far as the ongoing support is concerned. There is need to maintain this professional assistance for it proves vital while attending to one’s own wellbeing and emotional safety (Grant, 2007).
Thirdly, the psychiatric nurses are also called upon to develop in addition to maintaining a therapeutic and collaborative relationship with the patient. In doing so, a supportive and nonjudgmental stance that relates to the family or even patient should need to be maintained. The provision of therapeutic milieu should target the support and emotional safety of the patients. The voices of the nursing fraternity should be authentic with the intension to help (Tishler & Reiss, 2009). This could be achieved by the use of evidence when it comes to educating their patients concerning the symptoms of illness, the intervention effectiveness, not forgetting the suicidal mind. The message of connection and hope should be conveyed alongside recognizing the state of mind of the patients as well as their need for hopefulness. The maintenance of a collaborative and therapeutic relationship also encompasses the need to reconcile the potential conflict and differences that exist between the patient’s objective of eliminating his or her psychological torture using suicidal behavior and the nurse’s objective which is always geared towards preventing the real suicide from taking shape (Links & Hoffman, 2005).
The process entails explaining to the patients, the factors alongside motivation for the suicidal behaviors and thoughts. The process calls for the desire to understand the suicidal motivations, thoughts as well as the beliefs of the individuals experiencing them. It is important to recognize the importance to validate the psychological pain that normally ensues. To achieve this, the interpersonal skills must be well demonstrated to validate emotional state and patient’s pain. For the patient to remain free of pain, the nurses must accept the fact that their patients could be suicidal and they need to validate the depth of the strong feelings as well as the patient’s desire to remain free of the pain (Cutcliffe & Steven...