Recovery from Mental Illness “Once our minds are ‘tattooed’ with negative thinking, our chances of long-term success diminish” (Maxwell). This quote is very fitting, as there are many variables affect the recovery of people whom have a mental illness. Some of these variables are stigmas that will affect a person’s recovery, as well as family and social support networks, which are also a social justice concern. In addition, illness insight is found to be an important step towards a person’s recovery from a mental illness (Korsbek, 2013). Before moving onto the above topics, let us look at how literature defines the concept of recovery in mental illness.
The Concept of Recovery from Mental Illness
The concept of recovery from mental illness …show more content…
A family is a support network for the individual with a mental illness to be there for them emotionally, mentally and spiritually. The family of a person with a mental illness can provide care for the person with the illness, and can continue to implement the discharge planning for this individual outside of a psychiatric unit upon discharge (Austin & Boyd, 2010, p 292). An individual’s family is there for mental and emotional support, which can also be very stressful on the family members. One of the most important things that a nurse can do for a patient with a mental illness and their family is to use psychiatric mental health nursing diagnoses to address coping mechanisms and stress relievers. If these were a danger to the patient’s health, the nurse would address them and develop coping mechanisms to create a sense of well-being for the entire family (Austin & Boyd, 2010. p 300). Identifying coping mechanisms for a patient with mental illness and their family is detrimental as ineffective coping could result in relapse and readmission to a psychiatric …show more content…
A social justice and ethical concern that affects one’s recovery is when a family member goes to court to obtain power of attorney over the individual receiving treatment. In New Brunswick, a health care professional will determine whether a person is mentally competent by undergoing a mental competence test (or psychiatric evaluation) (Mental Competence, 2014). If a family member obtains a power of attorney, they would be the person that will take of the patient’s financial issues, housing options, etc. From observation in a clinical setting, this is why a power of attorney is a social justice and ethical issue as the person with the power of attorney could be abusing the system to gain more financial stability, or even be mentally incompetent themselves. This will both directly and indirectly affect recovery for a patient with a mental illness as it could increase hopelessness, put strain on the relationships with family members, increase a sense of worthlessness, and
The Concept of Recovery from Mental Illness
The concept of recovery from mental illness …show more content…
A family is a support network for the individual with a mental illness to be there for them emotionally, mentally and spiritually. The family of a person with a mental illness can provide care for the person with the illness, and can continue to implement the discharge planning for this individual outside of a psychiatric unit upon discharge (Austin & Boyd, 2010, p 292). An individual’s family is there for mental and emotional support, which can also be very stressful on the family members. One of the most important things that a nurse can do for a patient with a mental illness and their family is to use psychiatric mental health nursing diagnoses to address coping mechanisms and stress relievers. If these were a danger to the patient’s health, the nurse would address them and develop coping mechanisms to create a sense of well-being for the entire family (Austin & Boyd, 2010. p 300). Identifying coping mechanisms for a patient with mental illness and their family is detrimental as ineffective coping could result in relapse and readmission to a psychiatric …show more content…
A social justice and ethical concern that affects one’s recovery is when a family member goes to court to obtain power of attorney over the individual receiving treatment. In New Brunswick, a health care professional will determine whether a person is mentally competent by undergoing a mental competence test (or psychiatric evaluation) (Mental Competence, 2014). If a family member obtains a power of attorney, they would be the person that will take of the patient’s financial issues, housing options, etc. From observation in a clinical setting, this is why a power of attorney is a social justice and ethical issue as the person with the power of attorney could be abusing the system to gain more financial stability, or even be mentally incompetent themselves. This will both directly and indirectly affect recovery for a patient with a mental illness as it could increase hopelessness, put strain on the relationships with family members, increase a sense of worthlessness, and