A CDC report states that about 996,000 individuals suffer from some form of mental illness in the United States of America, in a given year. The report also mentions that a whopping 25% of adults in the country suffer from a mental disorder (That is about 1 in 4 adults). Mental health nursing helps the individual fix the mental disorder and in a way contribute to the betterment of the society and the country's economy.
The task is tough, because these nurses don't see any visible symptoms of the illness. They have to understand the behavior of the individual and try to find out the possible reason. They can definitely interact with the families of the patient to find out the reasons responsible for the sudden change in behavior of the individual.
Mental Health
The other problem mental health nurses face is that they do not normally know the severity of the illness. This makes it very tough for the nurse to subscribe to a set treatment process. Typically, a person with severe mental illness symptoms would need a more rigorous course of treatment than individuals with less severe symptoms.
Mental health nursing indeed seems to be the best cure for people with diagnosable mental illnesses, but the question is how many of them actually receive this treatment? In a survey done on 3,000 participants by National Institute of Medical Health (NIMH), it was found that only 50% of children in the age group of 8-15 received treatment for their mental illnesses. The symptoms of these illnesses grew with the children as they progressed with age, only for them to find out about the disorder when they symptoms appeared more severe.
Statistically, an increase in cases of drug and alcohol addiction with young individuals and adolescents has thrown a spike on the mental illness graph. Youngsters addicted to these substances face severe withdrawal symptoms when they are forced to get out of these habits, resulting in them suffering from some kind of mental illness.
It is quite clear that mental health nursing can only benefit the society. By fixing mental illnesses in a person, the symptoms of which are not easily visible to the naked eye, these nurses overcome a steep challenge to benefit the country and the society in a big way.
A mental health nurse needs to a caring individual who treats the patients with fairness and respect.
Mental Health Nursing - Could You Cope?
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