Mental Health Nursing

671 Words3 Pages
Introduction

Working in the mental health field is a love-hate relationship. Mental health continues

to be a widely misunderstood phenomenon. Mental health patients are often viewed as

patients that have AIDS or HIV. For years the public has had a poor image of mental

health patients & people who care for these patients. It is my view that health

professionals who work with mental health patients have long been the subject of

misconceptions in the public eye and among peers. I also believe mental health nurses,

the vast majority of whom, are at the front line, challenging stigma on a daily basis. They

continue to help the public understand these misconceptions that have been since the

beginning of time.

While the effects of stigma on those experiencing mental ill health have been studied

for decades, relatively little is known about the effects on those treating them. In higher

education and healthcare it is widely recognized that mental health nursing is one of the

most challenging in terms of recruitment. Appreciation of the roles and skills of mental

health nurses is relatively low, as is their media profile. Throughout my studies

and career so far it has been clear there are still many misconceptions of mental health

nursing and patients - the expectation of violence as a daily feature of my job is still,

without a doubt, a strong one. Drawing on the research of others, they suggested mental

health nurses are often viewed by the public as corrupt, evil and mentally abnormal. It is

a less desirable career choice compared with other types of nursing careers out there. It is

not seen as a specialty with a complex knowledge and skill base. The knowledge and

skills required to practice are not considered as skills at all to some. There is little, if no,
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