Depression Awareness Week
This is Depression Awareness Week - we support the work of the Depression Alliance
Grosvenor Nursing is a specialist agency in the A24 Group with a range of mental health support jobs nationwide: if you work or want to work in this sector please contact Grosvenor today www.grosvenor-nursing.com . Positions include: SPAN Special Practitioner Adult Nursing, SPMH Mental Health Nursing, SPCN Children’s Nursing, SPLD Learning Disabilities; SPGP General Practice; SCMH Community Mental Health; SCLD Community Learning Disabilities; SPCC Community Children’s nursing; SPOH Occupational Health; SPSN School Nursing; V100 Independent Nurse Prescribing; V200 Extended Nurse Prescribing; V300 Extended/Supplementary Prescribing; and LPE Lecturer/Practice Educator.
Therapeutic relationships
Mental ill health can be brought on by a crisis in life such as depression following the death of a partner. Depression is one of the range of conditions that come under the heading of mental ill health. There are also neuroses, psychoses, psychological and personality disorders.
Therapeutic relationships between the mental health nurse or HCA, those with mental ill health, and their families is crucial to successful mental health nursing. Helping people back to sound mental health can be every bit as valuable and satisfying as caring for those with a physical illness.
Core qualities and skills
The main tool as a mental health agency nurse will be the strength of your own personality and communication skills. Nurses and HCAs will need to empathise with the people with whom they are dealing and show warmth and to care about them. There is still some stigma attached to mental illness. Combating this and helping the individuals and their families deal with it is a key part of the job.
The danger of violence is often associated with this branch of nursing and one of the special skills required is to spot a build up of tension and be able to defuse it.
Diverse settings
Most mentally ill people are not cared for in hospital but in the community instead. You might be based in a community health care centre, or a day hospital and outpatients department or specialist unit. Working as a nurse, you will need to have an understanding of the theories of mental health and illness. You would work as part of a team which includes general practitioners, psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists, occupational therapists, arts therapists and healthcare assistants.