Mental Health Nursing refers to the care of people of all ages experiencing mental illness or psychological distress. Conditions include mood and anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders, psychosis and self-harm. Use this guide to find information resources about mental health including books, reports and journal articles. Use this guide to find information resources about mental health including books, reports and journal articles.
Royal College of Nursing (2018) Parity of esteem - Report of the spring 2018 RCN survey of mental health professionals, London: RCN.
Royal College of Nursing (2014) Mental health in children and young people: an RCN toolkit for nurses who are not mental
health specialists, London: RCN.
The Cochrane Library contains high quality independent evidence to inform healthcare decision-making. This includes the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2019) Mental health and behavioural conditions: general and other, NICE: London
National Institute for Health Research (2018) Forward Thinking - NIHR research on support for people with severe mental illness. NIHR: Southampton
Barber P, Brown R and Martin D (2012) Mental health law in England and Wales: a guide for mental health professionals, London: Learning Matters.
Callaghan, P. and Gamble, C (2015) Oxford handbook of mental health nursing, 2nd;Second; edn, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Chambers, M (2017) Psychiatric and mental health nursing: the craft of caring, Third edn, CRC Press, Boca Raton.
Mucic D and Hilty D (editors) (2015) e-Mental Health, Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Murphy R and Wales P (2013) Mental health law in nursing, London: SAGE.
Roberts D (2013) Psychosocial nursing care: a guide to nursing the whole person, Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Norman I and Ryrie I (2013) The art and science of mental health nursing: principles and practice, Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Patel V, Prince M, Patel, V and Minas, I H (2014) Global mental health: principles and practice, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Stickley T, Wright N and Freshwater D (2014) Theories for mental health nursing: a guide for practice, London: SAGE.
Townsend M (2014) Psychiatric nursing: assessment, care plans, and medications, Philadelphia, PA: F A Davis.
Walker S (editor) (2015) Psychosocial interventions in mental health nursing, London: Learning Matters.
Wrycraft N (2015) Assessment and care planning in mental health nursing, Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Use these links to see details of journal articles on each topic.
Journal titles of interest for mental health. Use these links to see details of availability.
Online materials from the Royal College of Nursing’s Out of the Asylum: the history of mental health nursing exhibition (displayed from October 2015 - March 2016). 
Barker P (1999) From the ashes of experience: reflections on madness, survival and growth, Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Nolan P (1993) A history of mental health nursing, London: Chapman & Hall.
McCrae N (2016) The story of nursing in British mental hospitals: echoes from the corridors, Abingdon: Routledge
Rippere V (1985) Wounded healers: mental health workers' experiences of depression, Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.
Author of this guide
RCN Library and Archive Services
Page last updated - 31/05/2019
