NURS-342: Mental Health Nursing Care (Exam 1)

What is mental health?

Successful adaptation to life’s challenges in work, relationships, change, and stress

What behaviors demonstrate good mental health?

Coping effectively, being productive, and demonstrating appropriate behaviors

What are the key words associated with mental wellness?

Adapting, coping, and resilience

According to the WHO, what is mental health?

A state of well-being in which individuals realize their abilities, cope with normal stresses, work productively, and contribute to their community

According to the WHO, what are signs of positive mental health?

Productivity, coping skills, self-awareness, and community contribution

What types of needs are at the base of Maslow’s hierarchy?

Survival needs such as safety, food, and shelter

What is the highest level of Maslow’s hierarchy?

Self-actualization

What does self-actualization mean?

Achieving one’s highest potential and feeling fulfilled

How is mental illness defined?

Maladaptive responses to stressors evidenced by thoughts, feelings, and behaviors incongruent with cultural norms that interfere with functioning

What areas of functioning may mental illness interfere with?

Social, occupational, and physical functioning

What are key words associated with mental illness?

Maladaptive, abnormal behaviors, and interference with daily activities

What causes distress in mental illness?

Problems in emotions, thinking, behavior, or a combination

What is the overall role of the mental health nurse?

Providing holistic care for psychological and emotional responses to aid recovery

What communication style is essential in psychiatric nursing?

Therapeutic communication

What assessments do psychiatric nurses perform?

Mental status exams and psychosocial assessments

Why do psychiatric nurses review medications carefully?

To monitor psychotropic medications and medications causing psychiatric side effects

What important screenings should psychiatric nurses complete?

Screening for suicidal ideation, trauma, violence, and substance misuse

What factors should mental health nurses consider during care?

Lifespan, developmental stage, culture, coping status, spiritual health, and social support

What type of language should nurses use when describing clients?

Person-first language

What is stigma in mental health?

Negative or discriminatory attitudes toward people with mental illness

What influences beliefs and attitudes about mental illness?

Schools, parents, religion, social media, and society

What are consequences of mental health stigma?

Delayed treatment, ignored mental health needs, unemployment, housing limitations, and public fear

What is a common misconception about people with mental illness?

That they are lazy or not trying hard enough

What is the biological basis for many mental illnesses?

Neurotransmitter imbalances involving levels, timing, or absorption

What is the nurse’s role regarding stigma?

Advocate for clients and educate the public

What is cultural relativity?

The idea that normal behavior is determined by culture

How may emotional expression vary by culture?

Some cultures are expressive while others are stoic

How can culture influence mental health treatment?

Culture may affect who provides care and beliefs about the cause of illness

What are examples of culturally influenced beliefs about mental illness?

Evil eye, spiritual causes, poor choices, or disbelief

How can stigma affect families culturally?

Stigma may extend to both the individual and the family

What are the stages on the mental health continuum?

In crisis, struggling, surviving, thriving, and excelling

What behaviors may indicate a person is “in crisis”?

Very anxious mood, absenteeism, exhaustion, poor sleep, and weight loss

What behaviors are associated with “struggling”?

Anxious mood, depression, fatigue, poor performance, poor sleep, and poor appetite

What behaviors are associated with “surviving”?

Worry, nervousness, irritability, sadness, trouble sleeping, poor attention span, and social withdrawl

What behaviors are associated with “thriving”?

Positive mood, calmness, normal social activity, and healthy eating/sleeping

What behaviors are associated with “excelling”?

Joyfulness, energy, high performance, and full realization of potential

What is stress?

A natural human reaction to challenges or changes

What happens physically during stress?

The body produces physical and mental responses

True or False: Stress is never beneficial.

False

When does stress become harmful?

When stressors continue without relief or relaxation

Who defined stress as a nonspecific biologic response syndrome?

Hans Selye

What is the “fight-or-flight” response?

The body’s physiologic reaction to stress

What additional response is often added to “fight-or-flight”?

Freeze

What are the three phases of Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome?

Alarm reaction, resistance, and exhaustion

What occurs during the alarm reaction stage?

Awareness of stress and activation of fight-or-flight

What occurs during the resistance stage?

Physiologic adaptation to stress

What happens during the exhaustion stage?

Coping resources become depleted, potentially leading to disease or death

What hormones are released during the immediate stress response?

Norepinephrine and epinephrine

What are immediate physical signs of stress?

Dilated pupils, increased heart rate, increased respiratory rate, and increased cardiac output

What are sustained physical effects of stress?

Increased blood pressure, increased glucose, increased fatty acids, decreased immunity, and increased metabolic rate

What are the two major psychological responses to stress?

Anxiety and grief

What determines whether adaptation is healthy or unhealthy?

The degree to which thoughts, feelings, and behaviors interfere with functioning