You are currently searching within the context of the global site
Search in local site-
Hilda Hand
Complete transcript of notebook
-
Self-harm in young people: risk factors, assessment and treatment interventions
Self-harm, where an individual purposefully harms themselves with a non-fatal outcome, is common, especially among young people. A wide range of mental health issues are associated with self-harm and it increases the likelihood that the person will eventually die by suicide.This article explores the motivations for self-harming behaviours, risk and protective factors, the components of risk assessment and potential interventions. Self-harm can be associated with stigma and discrimination in society and in healthcare services. This article aims to support healthcare practitioners in providing non-judgemental, empathetic and respectful care to these young people and their families and carers.
-
Hilda Hand
Complete transcript of photograph album
-
Biological basis of child health 9: development of the liver and clinical features of childhood liver disease
This article is the ninth in a series on the biological basis of child health and follows on from the previous article, which discussed the gastrointestinal system. The liver is the largest solid organ in the body and has more than 500 functions. These functions include: producing bile, which serves as a vehicle for waste products and as an aid for the digestion of dietary fat; synthesising most coagulation factors, needed in the clotting cascade; and transforming glycogen into glucose for use as energy in cell metabolism. While most liver conditions seen in children are rare, it is important that children’s nurses can identify the clinical features of childhood liver disease. This article provides an overview of the embryological development of the liver, its anatomy and functions, liver function tests in children, and the clinical features and pathophysiology of childhood liver disease.
-
Introducing mentalization and its role in mental health practice
The theory of mentalization describes the ability of individuals to make sense of their own and others’ behaviour in terms of mental states such as feelings, thoughts, beliefs and intentions. Mentalization is fundamental to people’s ability to manage relationships and emotions. Also, the process of mentalizing is core to the establishment of the therapeutic relationship and is a common factor in all therapeutic approaches. As such, mentalization is relevant to nurses and others working in a range of mental healthcare settings with any age group. This article introduces the theory of mentalization, including an explanation of its central principles, how individuals learn to mentalize during childhood, and how the ability to mentalize fluctuates in response to stress.
-
Using the STARTER model to talk about sex in mental health nursing practice
People with mental illness are more likely to contract sexually transmitted infections and blood-borne viruses than the general population. They are also at higher risk of becoming victims of domestic or sexual violence and of having an unplanned pregnancy. Despite this, the sexual health of people with mental illness is often overlooked in the healthcare environment. This has an adverse effect not only on morbidity and mortality but also on quality of life and recovery outcomes.This article introduces a systematic approach for including sexual health enquiry and promotion in holistic mental health nursing practice. It is relevant for staff who work in inpatient and community settings.The STARTER model is a step-by-step tool that has been designed by the author for mental health nurses to encourage conversations about sexual health. It considers that mental health nurses may be limited by lack of training, and by personal or organisational barriers, but encourages them to look at how these can be overcome, as well as when it is necessary to refer to external agencies that can provide support and services that may be more appropriate for the individual patient.
-
Implementing trauma-informed care in mental health services
It has been recognised that trauma underpins several mental health conditions, and that retraumatisation, in which a person re-experiences a traumatic event, is common in mental health services.This article explores the effects of childhood trauma on adult mental distress, and describes the symptoms and behaviours associated with trauma. Mental health practitioners, services and organisations need to ensure trauma-informed care is standard practice to enable service users to move beyond the traumatic events they have experienced. Trauma-informed care should be viewed as a concept rather than an intervention to promote a cultural shift from what is ‘wrong’ with a person to what has happened to them.
-
Well-being, physical and mental health: part 3. Helping service users cope with schizophrenia
Schizophrenia affects the mental well-being of service users but also their physical and social well-being. This article explores the causes of schizophrenia and how the illness can contribute to self-neglect. The interaction of mental and physical health in people with schizophrenia is explored and how mental health nurses might work with colleagues to help service users to cope. A case study is used to illustrate how healthcare professionals from different backgrounds worked with a service user and his family to help manage his self-care and improve his well-being. This is the third article in a series on well-being, physical and mental health.
-
Nursing care plans in mental health
This article explores best practice in co-creating recovery-orientated care plans. Recovery is a holistic experience that involves the service user beginning to regain a sense of control, alongside a reduction or absence of symptoms of mental distress. A care plan documents the needs of the service user and the interventions that will support their recovery. The history and development of care plans are explored and the benefits of care planning, involving good-practice guidelines and co-production, with service users are discussed. A case study is used to show strategies for planning care and recovery tools, and troubleshooting suggestions are provided for when there is a lack of engagement from the service user.Care planning is an important part of a mental health nurse’s role, as a legal record of care given and as a therapeutic tool to encourage recovery.
-
Improving the physical health of people with a mental illness: holistic nursing assessments
People with a mental illness are more susceptible to physical ill health than the general population, which leads to significantly higher mortality rates among this group. Reasons for this include lifestyle factors such as smoking, lack of exercise and poor diet. Inadequate knowledge and skills about physical health among mental health nurses can lead to uncoordinated care and inadequate access to physical health services for people with mental ill health. This article aims to guide nurses to make initial holistic assessments with specific focus on areas of greatest physical disparity: dental health, eye conditions, sexual and reproductive health, smoking, drugs and alcohol, and metabolic syndrome. Relevant screening tools and health resources are explored. If nurses carry out holistic assessments as a basis for care, make appropriate referrals and deliver timely health promotion, physical health outcomes for people with mental illness will improve.
