Substance Use Disorders In Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing

Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing (PMHN) has been the most interesting class I have taken at Baptist College thus far. With only six weeks to learn the basic knowledge of psychiatric nursing care, our instructors were still able to cover an abundant amount of information. Through this knowledge and information learned in lecture, we were able to better prepare and care for patients in the psychiatric clinical setting. Although I thoroughly enjoyed learning about psychiatric concepts of care and all the disorders, I do not plan to practice exclusively on a psychiatric unit. I enjoyed learning about every concept/topic talked about in lecture, however, the three topics that intrigued me the most were schizophrenia, substance use disorders, and …show more content…
This lecture opened my eyes to the true mental illness aspect of those with substance abuse and addiction. I enjoyed learning about this lecture because knowing what signs or symptoms to look for, as well as, developing significant knowledge about effective dealing with/treating each substance use disorder is beneficial. According to Townsend (2014) individuals between the age 18-24 are of the highest substance abusers (p.279). When an individual is unable to control the use, knowing that it’s becoming an interference in their daily functioning and obligations; when attempting to cut down or control the use fails; when there are intense cravings and a great deal of time spent on obtaining the substance; when tolerance occurs; and when discontinuing the substance signs of withdrawal occur; this is when addiction is evident (Townsend, 2014, p.279). There are several psychoactive substances that can become abused or addicted to, these include alcohol, caffeine, cannabis, hallucinogens, inhalants, opioids, sedative-hypnotics, stimulants, and tobacco (Townsend, 2014, p.280). With a vast majority of the population suffering from addiction or abuse to a substance, “10 to 15 percent of nurses suffer from this disease” (Townsend, 2014, p.317). Moreover, when caring for an individual with a substance use disorder, it is essential for nurses to evaluate our own feelings about the topic to ensure we are able to give effective nonjudgmental and accepting care (Townsend, 2014, p.329). I will use the information I gained from this lecture in my professional life by identifying signs/symptoms of substance use disorder in patients, as well as coworkers, and applying appropriate individualized interventions, diagnosis, and resources. Also, being able to distinguish signs/symptoms in people in my personal life and help them in seeking appropriate