Developing Social Support for Mental Health Patients

Developing Social Support for Mental Health Patients Social support plays a vital role in every individual’s life. Through comforting relationships and interactions, people are able to express their feelings and share their experiences. These relationships are essential for purposeful and meaningful life. People with mental disorders often experience difficulty in maintaining and initiating relationships with family members, friends, society and even with health care providers. ` For human beings, families are the most obvious of social systems (relationships)` (Charles Laurel., 2013). Their limited social network keeps them secluded from their environment. In contrast, a good and non threating social networks help pateints in coping with their problems. An intact social network is a precursor for the executive of social support. Person with serious mental illness not only need to overcome the symptoms of disorder but societal and family misconceptions as well. (Batastini, Bolanos Morgan, 2014) I encountered a client in AKUH Psychatric ward for last 2 months with the disgnosis of schizophrenia. Presenting complains were aggresiveness, low mood, low motivation and depression. On exploring patient’s histroy and by observing I came to know that patient is living within his boundries and remains isolated where he doesn’t interact with other patients, nor they interact with him, doesnot participate in any activities and no body came to visit him no relatives no family members . When he was at his house his neighbours used to make fun of him and even family members were misbehaving and giving him no respect. From furthur interviewing and considering above scenerio, I identified that the patient is suffering from social isolation because of lack of social support. To analyze the varying aspects of this issue, which is of great concern to mental health nurses because they have to deal with such patients who encountered many problems because of low social support and by increasing social support their mental health can be promotes and they can cope with many problems. Social support is the key to reduce social isolation by promoting interaction within society. It helps in adaptive process of adjustments and helps in sharing of feelings (Schuler, Zaider Kissane, 2012) People with mental illness often feel lonely, scared and avoided by society. Such people consider themselves as inferior and worthless. `Social relationships both quantity and quality affect mental health, health behavior, physical health, and mortality risk` (Umberson montez, 2010). Social support promotes mental health by enhancing patient’s self esteem, confidence and empowerment. It aids in the course of illness from acute phase to recovery phase. It fosters prompt recovery and compliance to medical treatment. (Finfgeld-Connett, 2005). In Pakistani context, our society is bound by social ties in which people share their feelings with loved ones which indeed promotes mental wellbeing and provides person with sense of security, love and affection. Considering literature `mental health problems in Pakistan, a developing country, have in the last few decades reached an appalling level linked to both the current violence in Pakistani society and disruption in social structure ` (Khalily, 2011). In Pakistani society mentally ill are perceived as abnormal, be mocked by people and often misbehaved by younger’s. As discussed in my scenario, the family members misbehaved with him. The families are ashamed to have mentally challenged family members and they are sent to mental health care institutions giving staff the entire responsibility (Todor, 2013, pg 210). Sufferers of mental illness are often seen as most disadvantaged group whose rights are violated by the members of their own society. A study conducted in Pakistan (Lahore) where medical students and doctors were surveyed to assess their attitude towards mental illness. It came out that half of the health care professionals poses negative attitude towards mental disorders such as schizophrenia, depression and substance abuse regarding their da ngerousness, unpredictability and fear of communicating with patients. (Naeem, Ayub, Javed, Irfan, Haral Kingdon, 2006). Researchers have proposed several theories which describe the causes of isolation and low social support of mentally ill by society. One of them is labeling theory by Scheff in 1984. This theory proposed that public rejection is due to label such as â€Å"mentally ill† which leads to provoke negative emotions such as fear and exclusion that person labeled with mentally ill should be alarm and, therefore, be set aside from communities. (Abdullah and Brown, 2011, pp 935-948). While reviewing literature I came across several strategies to reduce social isolation in patients at an individual, group and institutional level . All these strategies are meant to encourage positive sense of self, increased confidence and self esteem. On individual level therapeutic use of self, enhancing spirituality and rebuilding family networks are considered valuable tools for patients. The professional relationship shared between a patient and nurse can decrease patient’s isolation and feelings of loneliness through therapeutic communication and active listening. (Abate, 2011). Client should also be given love and affection from family by rebuilding existing family relationships, promoting family meetings and help patients recall pleasant experiences. This will aid in increasing family bounding and augmenting sense of hope and comfort. In group level, various interventions can be done to increase patient’s coping. Referral to support groups should be incorporat ed in care plans. ’ The primary goal of support group is to increase member’s coping ability in face of stress, to strengthen the central core of individuals` (Perese Wolf, 2005). This will help cliet to express their feelings and desires with person going through same situation. It will increase their interpersonal relationships and coping skills and enhance feeling of togetherness and decrease uniqueness. Family education should be done to make them equal part of treatment. Mass media can be involved to convey our messages to population. Institutions should arrange semi structured sessions for the health care providers so as to increase their knowledge and make them competent enough to teach patient an their family members. During my clinical rotation, I identified and addressed the issue of social isolation at an individual and group level through nursing care process. The planning phase starts with assessment and purpose to promote social interaction. Firstly, I used therapeutic communication as a measure to build rapport with patient and gave him room for expressing and ventilation feelings through active listening. Secondly, I identified teaching needs of patients and delivered ongoing teaching on relaxation technique to make him feel comfortable since physical helath also plays a vital role in maintenance of functional health pattern I involved patient in different leisure activities such as playing indoor games and drawing to increase self esteem. While evaluating my patient I noticed that he started to participate in small activities with other patients . More over, becoming more sociable, interactive and willing to participate in different activities. This was the first time I dealt with mental illness patient with decreased social support. Initially I was resistant and scared in caring for these patients. However my perception changed when I came across different strategies to deal with such patients. I tried to remain non judgmental, sensitive and empathetic towards them and applied theoretical knowledge to clinical settings. In conclusion, decreased social support is the most challenging yet interesting domain which has many solutions. We should inculcate multidimensional approach to address this issue. Health care professionals should take a step forward to confront biased social attitudes In order to increase social support. Nurses should recognize the unmet needs of patients and pay them attentions that are often ignored by society. Increased efforts are needed to incorporate the practice of social support in mental health settings.

Nursing ADN vs BSN Essay

If you would have asked me a year ago if there was a difference in the competency level between a nurse who has their associate degree and a nurse that has their baccalaureate degree I would have said, â€Å"No†. That answer would not have been an honest one, but rather an answer born from frustration. When I was in my first year of nursing school, our instructors informed us that all across the nation Magnet hospitals were pledging that they were only going to hire entry-level nurses who had their baccalaureate degree moving forward. That news was discouraging because I had just changed careers and was considered lucky to be in a two year associates degree program, especially since nursing schools everywhere were saturated with applicants. I did not expect to come out of school and have to jump right in to a BSN program to keep myself marketable. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing states that; â€Å"Quality patient care hinges on having a well-educated nursing workforce. (Rosseter, 2012, p. 1) Now as I look back at my three years of nursing experience, I must admit that a higher education in nursing would benefit not only my ability to find and keep a job, become a platform to continue my education but also it will benefit the way I approach planning for my patients care. I now feel that a higher education level brings with it the ability to not only understand how a patient came to be under my care, but also why. If a patient comes to my hospital with a wound to his leg and that same patient has diabetes, as a nurse with an ADN degree, I may be inclined to dress the wound as ordered and treat the diabetes as ordered without thought to why or how this happened. With a higher degree in nursing practice, I will not only have a better understanding of how to help the wound heal quickly and properly ccompanied with the proper tools, but I will also have a better understanding of the patients underlying diagnosis of diabetes and how I can help the patient understand what type of care will be given at the hospital in addition to accessed care out in society to ensure that this particular problem will not arise again. I, most likely will have a better understanding of outside resources that I can pass on to the patient before discharge so that he may better manage his overall health at home. I will hopefully be able to instill in this patient the need to educate himself on his disease so that the visits to the hospital are infrequent. The higher the education level, the more confident the nursing diagnoses are. In other words, as a nurse with a baccalaureate degree, I feel I will know how to articulate in a more productive way to ensure that the patient gets the best explanation of what interventions are being performed and why. With a higher education, I should feel more confident in my abilities to perform any and all tasks needed on a daily basis to help my patients. I am very fortunate to have nurses in my work place that value education and think along the same lines as Grand Canyon University when it stated in its Nursing Philosophy, â€Å"Students are educated to provide, direct and evaluate client-centered care while focusing on the person as an integrated whole. † (Grand Canyon University [GCU], 2011, 9). One huge advantage to becoming a highly educated nurse is that I will feel more comfortable when speaking to multidisciplinary teams about patient care. Most colleagues that we come in contact with during these meetings â€Å"are educated at the master’s degree of higher level. † (Rosseter, 2012, p. 2) Some examples are; case managers, social workers, speech pathologists and pharmacists to name a few. I am currently a charge nurse on the diabetic floor of my hospital and I work with these people every Tuesday to discuss patient flow. I can see the level of confidence they have in their roles having been educated at a higher level than myself and I cannot wait until I can feel that same level of confidence as my co-workers. In conclusion, those of us that are continuing our education should encourage other nurses to advance their careers and education level as well. We all can benefit from higher education and many studies have been done to prove this theory. It makes sense that if we are left in charge of a patient’s well-being, we should know, with confidence that we are doing our job to the best of our ability. One thing that is constant in nursing is change and the way to keep up with change is through continued education.

Political Participation Among Backward Castes Of Panchayat...

Political participation among Backward Castes in Panchayat Raj Institutions: A study on Ananthapuramu District of Andhra Pradesh Social Stratification is a ubiquitous social structure in human societies, be it simple or complex. Stratification is fairly permanent ranking of positions in a society in terms of unequal power, prestige or privileges. It refers to the patterned or structured social inequalities among the whole categories of people not just among individuals. The Caste system is the unique dimension, on which the Indian society is stratified into higher and lower castes with differential access to resources of society. In India, caste is the most important basis of social categorization. Initially caste originated on the basis of division of people on the basis of their natural inclinations and occupations and over a period of time it has turned out to be hereditary. It has created social groups based on kinship and ethnicity. The hereditary occupations have created vested interests in the form of socio-economic monopolies and have bred an extreme form of exploitation. The main attribute of Caste system is ritualistic purity, and this in turn has created inflexibility, rigidity and feelings of superiority and inferiority. Basing on different perspectives there are various definitions of caste. How does one define caste? Although many social scientists have done epoch- making work on the Indian caste system, no two social

Private Day Schools in New York City

There are more than 2,000 private schools in New York state, with approximately 200 of those private schools in New York City. Check out this sampling of day schools offerings grades 9-12 with low student to faculty ratios, challenging curricula and excellent reputations for college prep. The schools are coed unless otherwise noted. Many offer early grades as well.   This list is presented in alphabetical order by location. Downtown Friends Seminary Address: 222 E 16th Street, New York, NY, 10003Religious Affiliation: Friends (Quaker)Teachers to Students Ratio: 1:6Tuition: $41,750 Comments: This fine old Quaker school has been around since 1786. In the 2015-2016 academic year, over $4.8 million in  financial aid  was awarded to approximately 22% of the student body at this selective school. Grace Church School Address: 46 Cooper Square, New York, NYReligious Affiliation: EpiscopalTeachers to Students Ratio: 1:5Tuition: $44,000 East Side The Beekman School Address: 220 East 50th Street, New York, NY, 10022Religious Affiliation: NonsectarianTeachers to Students Ratio: 1:4Tuition: $38,000 Comments: If your child is an actor and needs a special school schedule to accommodate his schedule, The Tutoring School section of The Beekman School might be the answer. Birch Wathen Lenox School Address: 210 E 77th Street, New York, NY, 10021Religious Affiliation: NonsectarianTeachers to Students Ratio: 1:7Tuition: $43,479 Comments: BWL is the outcome of The Birch Wathen School combining with The Lenox School in 1991. The school now offers a science initiative, including seminars for Women in Science Education and college-level research opportunities. The Brearley School (All girls) Address: 610 East 83rd Street, New York, NY, 10028Religious Affiliation: NonsectarianTeachers to Students Ratio: 1:7Tuition: $43,680 Comments: The Brearley School was founded in 1884. This prestigious girls school offers serious college preparatory studies as well as a host of extracurricular activities and sports. A highly selective school. Convent of The Sacred Heart (All girls) Address: 1 East 91st Street, New York, NY, 10128Religious Affiliation: Roman CatholicTeachers to Students Ratio: 1:8Tuition: Varies by Grade, Highest is $44,735 Comments: Take a look at the top colleges CSHs grads go to. Then you will understand why this is a serious college prep institution. Solid academics. Conservative Catholic values. Selective admissions. Dalton School Address: 108 E 89th Street, New York, NY, 10128Religious Affiliation: NonsectarianTeachers to Students Ratio: 1:5Tuition: $38,710 Comments: This is one of the original progressive schools. Founded by Helen Parkhurst, Dalton remains true to her missions and philosophy. This is a very selective school. Only 14% of applicants were accepted in 2008. Loyola School Address: 980 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10028Religious Affiliation: Roman CatholicTeachers to Students Ratio: 1:8Tuition: $35,800 Comments: Rigorous Jesuit education for young men and women. Upper East Side location. Lycee Francais De New York Address: 505 East 75th Street, New York, NY, 10021Religious Affiliation: NonsectarianTeachers to Students Ratio: 1:10Tuition: $32,950 Comments: Lycee has been offering a French education since 1935. It prides itself on producing citizens of the world. Nightingale-Bamford School Address: 20 East 92nd Street, New York, NY, 10128Religious Affiliation: NonsectarianTeachers to Students Ratio: 1:6Tuition: $44,400 Comments: Ignore the caricature of the school as seen on Gossip Girls and focus on the reality that this is a highly successful, very selective girls school. One of Manhattans top private schools. Rudolf Steiner School Address: 15 East 79th Street, New York, NY, 10021Religious Affiliation: NonsectarianTeachers to Students Ratio: 1:8Tuition: Varies by grade, Highest Tuition is $44,500 Comments: The Steiner School is the first Waldorf school in North America. The school has two buildings in Manhattan to house the lower and upper schools. The Spence School (All girls) Address: 22 E 91st Street, New York, NY, 10128-0101Religious Affiliation: Non-sectarianTeachers to Students Ratio: 1:7Tuition: $43,000 Comments: Rigorous academics at this top Manhattan girls school. Graduates go on to the top tier colleges everywhere. A selective school. United Nations International School Address: 2450 FDR Drive, New York, NY, 10010Religious Affiliation: NonsectarianTeachers to Students Ratio: 1:7Tuition: Varies by grade, Max tuition is $38,500 UNIS is a large school serving the diplomatic and expat community in Manhattan. UNIS also is an IB school. West Side Collegiate School (All boys) Address: 260 West 78th Street, New York, NY, 10024Religious Affiliation: NonsectarianTeachers to Students Ratio: 1:5Tuition: $41,370 Comments: Americas oldest independent school was founded in 1628. If you are considering a Manhattan boys school, Collegiate is one of the best schools in the country. Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School Address: 5 W 93rd Street, New York, NY, 10025Religious Affiliation: NonsectarianTeachers to Students Ratio: 1:6Tuition: $38,340 One of the oldest private schools in New York the school has one of the finest academic and college prep programs available. This is a selective school. The Dwight School Address: 291 Central Park West, New York, NY, 10024Religious Affiliation: NonsectarianTeachers to Students Ratio: 1:5Tuition: $39,650 Comments: Dwight offers an unusual amalgam of internationalism and civic awareness. The school is the only New York City school to offer the International Baccalaureate at all three levels. Professional Childrens School Address: 132 West 60th Street, New York, NY, 10024Religious Affiliation: NonsectarianTeachers to Students Ratio: 1:8Tuition: $38,300 Comments: PCS offers flexible, concentrated schedules so its students can pursue their professional careers and/or training. Trinity School Address: 139 West 91st Street, New York, NY, 10024-0100Religious Affiliation: EpiscopalTeachers to Students Ratio: 1:7Tuition: $41,370 Comments: Trinity was founded in 1709. The school has nearly 1,000 students and is a highly selective school. They are known for offering educational programs for both body and mind. Other Locations The Masters School  (approx. 12 miles from Manhattan) Address: 49 Clinton Avenue, Dobbs Ferry, NYReligious Affiliation: NoneTeachers to Students Ratio: 1:12Tuition: $41,00-$59,500 Comments:  Masters is 35 minutes from Manhattan and offers private busing from the East and West side of Manhattan.