ROLE OF PSYCHIATRIC NURSE:
In Blocks 2 and 3 you have learnt about various therapeutic interventions for mental disorders like anxiety neurotic disorders, psychotic disorders and others. The nurse has an important role in treatment modalities used for mentally ill patient. The focus of this unit is the study of Psychopharmacology and its impact on psychiatric-mental health nursing. The advent of psychotropic medications have generated dramatic results in the treatment of mentally ill. The drugs have been used extensively with various actions but the side effects have also increased extensively because of increased side effects patient's compliance to medicine decreases, so there is recurrent episodes of mental illness. The role of a nurse needs to help the patient and family members to continue taking drugs until advised by psychiatrist to reduce or stop the medicine.
Responsibilities of the nurse include recognizing the desired actions and adverse reactions of the drugs and normal therapeutic dosage, documenting medication, administration and keeping abreast of current literature on psychotropic drugs. Somatic therapy or physical therapy is one form of treatment given to mentally ill patient. In this therapy electric current is used to produce grandma1 type of convulsion in the patient. In this unit you will learn about Electro Convulsive Therapy (ECT) and role of psychiatric nurse.
Psychological treatment or psychotherapy is one of the approaches helping the patient from suffering any type of mental and behavioural disorders. Psychotherapy is also used for patient with emotional and personality problems. Psychotherapy is used frequently by nurse therapist to help the patient. Psychotherapy is given independently by the nurse or it is also done jointly with the team members. In this unit you will also learn about the types of psychological therapies and role of mental health psychiatric nurse.