PART 1a
My knowledge on mental health was limited prior to NSB023. I think these unfounded and biased preconceptions were based primarily on my racial and familial background, which seems to delineate persons with mental health issues unfairly, which are based primarily on what we see or read in the mass media. However, my firsthand experiences with mental health, in the course of completing NSB023, have broadened my understanding on this problem. I have come to realize that mental health issues are not necessarily due to an individual’s psychological ineptitude in dealing with conflicts or the reality, but may also be due to the physical and internal environmental circumstances that have overwhelmed a specific person. As such, I have come to realize that mental health problems can affect everybody, regardless of his or her age, gender, ethnic and religious background.
In addition, besides the theories I learned in this unit, my increased understanding on mental health has also been enhanced by my firsthand interaction with a person with this type of illness. I compared and analyzed his situation with what I have been learning in the said course unit, and thus can apply such theorems in the real world. Moreover, this interaction with a person afflicted with mental health issues made me aware that while it would be highly difficult to completely cure a person with the said issues, it nonetheless can be controlled to such a point that a person can function progressively in his or her various life roles.
PART 1b
I must admit that there will be some problems in my capacity to provide professional care to persons with mental health issues. This is especially true when considering the cultural and family background that permeates not only to myself, but to almost everyone living in the modern archetype of the society. In this respect, it is my opinion that the general attitude of ‘independence’ which necessitates a person to deal with and solve his or her own problems in life, is the major factor that can hinder a healthcare provider from delegating care to mental patients. This is true since a person with mental disorder will need added attention to overcome certain personal and social issues that are otherwise easily-surmountable to those without such mental issues.
In relation to the arguments presented above, I believe that the manner the society teaches and exalts the quality of independence in a person is also the same factor that will deter a healthcare provider from delegating professional sympathetic care to mental patients. I think the society is partly to be blamed for this prevalence, given that each person has his or her own innate qualities in handling conflict situations, thus others may not be mentally or emotionally stable as other members of the society. I believe that the best way to deal with mental illness is to forego with my own cultural upbringing and understand the problem based on the person’s inherent weaknesses and his or her ability to overcome emotional conflicts.
PART 2a
In believe that in mental health nursing, one aspect that I will have difficulty would be in the field of psychosocial interventions. The main reason for this is the diversity that mental patients come from, both in terms of race and religion. The area is simply too vast for a single individual to be adept at, considering the many regions of the world wherein each has their own unique cultural norms in treating women, color, and ethnic deviations. In line of this argument, one example would be in dealing with family therapy. Here, I think that treating a mental patient with a different background from myself would be difficult because I would be in no position to accurately assess the problem, since the patient’s environment may be very different from my own.
Nevertheless, I am confident that my probable weaknesses in the field of psychological interventions will be overcome by my skills in the field of therapeutic use of self. Primarily, I make this claim because of my innate skills in building rapport and trust, delegating respect and showing sincerity to other people that I deal with, both in personal and professional levels. I believe that this trait is very important in dealing with persons with mental illnesses especially since it is common for these people to reassert their level of self-confidence, to redevelop their trust on other people, and to moderate their anxiety and fear relief; all of which will require absolute faith in their respective mental health nurses.
PART 2b
I believe that the training I gained from NSB023 will greatly benefit me in delegating mental health services in community health centers. This is because the said unit has allowed me to further my skills in assessing mental disorders and in choosing the most appropriate approach in mental health. Further, I think my personal experiences with people with this type of disorder greatly supplements my inherent sense of empathy, and that the amalgamation of these two traits allows me to be best suited to meet the challenges in nursing. I also believe that community health center is the best environment to reverse the growing prevalence of mental disorders in the society. This is because more often than not it is here where patients are first diagnosed, hence making health centers as the first line of defense, so to speak.
Other than community centers, I think long-term care mental facilities will also provide the appropriate setting to delegate my nursing duties. This is basically because patients in these facilities require a long time to diagnose and cure, in aim of ultimately once again making them progressive members of the community. Moreover, the skills I gained in NSB023, in unison with my sense of sympathy, will complement each other in the Presenting, Predisposing, Precipitating, Pertuating and Protective processes in mental health therapy, which require an extensive length of time to achieve. As such, I believe that the lessons I gained in NSB023 fully prepares me to meet the challenges in long-term care facilities.
