Mental health nurses support a person’s recovery to gain increased control over their conditions to establish trusting and effective relationships. They promote health and wellbeing through personalised treatment to improve the quality of their patient’s lives. They work in a multidisciplinary team, using evidence-based practice.
Mental health nurses work with a wide range of conditions to help to improve patient’s health and overall quality of life, where possible.
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Addition issues
This relates to a range of substance misuse, it is possible to be addicted to anything. You may work with people with drug, alcohol, gambling, smoking, work, internet, solvent or shopping addictions.
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Anxiety disorders
This can have a debilitating effect on an individual’s day to day life. They may suffer from occasional anxiety or from repeated episodes that can be difficult to control. Some disorders you may work with include generalised anxiety, social anxiety, specific phobias or separation anxiety.
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Depression
Depression can affect people in many ways. Mental health nurses work with people who may be majorly depressed, have melancholy, suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder and many more.
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Eating disorders
Mental health nurses work with people with anorexia nervosa, bulimia and binge eating disorder, OSFED, ARFID to help people create better relationships with food.
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Personality disorders
Someone with a personality disorder thinks, feels, behaves or relates to others very differently from the average person. Some disorders you might encounter include paranoid, schizoid, antisocial, borderline, dependent and many more.
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Obsessive-compulsive disorders
Mental health nurses work with a wide range of people that may be suffering from a form of OCD. Some of the most common conditions include excessive cleaning, checking, counting, ordering, arranging, hoarding and many more.
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Post-traumatic stress
This condition is triggered by a terrifying event for a person that has either experienced or witnessed it. Symptoms can include flashbacks, nightmares, severe anxiety and uncontrollable thoughts.
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Perinatal mental health issues
This relates to problems experienced right after and up to a year after the birth of a baby, and can affect both parents. Mental health nurses work with those suffering from postnatal depression and other conditions, to support new parents.
Mental health nursing is a broad discipline, you could work with people and children of all ages such as:
- people who may be suicidal
- people who may be isolated
- people who may be vulnerable
- people who may be homeless
- people who may be from minority communities
- veterans
- people who may be encountering relationship difficulties
- people with legal or financial problems
- people who are in poverty
- people with pre-existing medical conditions
- people who are unhappy
- people who may be experiencing family conflicts.
Within the nursing profession there are a multitude of job opportunities. You could work in the NHS, within the public or private sector. For example:
- NHS hospitals
- Public health and policy making
- Communities
- Patient’s homes
- Outpatient units
- Private practice
- GP surgeries
- Prisons
- Armed Forces
- Specialist units
- Secure residential units
- Community centres
- Education and academia
- Research
- Leadership roles
- Voluntary roles
Career opportunities