Monday, January 16, 2012

The Art and Science of Mental Health Nursing Review

The Art and Science of Mental Health Nursing
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The Art and Science of Mental Health Nursing: a textbook of principles and practice.
Ian Norman and Iain Ryrie (Eds)
Maidenhead. Open University Press.
Aug 2004 p847
ISBN: 0 335 21242 5 (pbk): ₤24.99
ISBN: 0 335 21588 2 (hbk) ₤80.00I must admit to a certain bias in advancing a review on this book. Having been professionally socialized during one's early formative years on Stuart and Sundeen's excellent `Principles and Practice of Psychiatric Nursing' I am loathed to refer to other key mental health nursing texts, especially those that highlight `principles and practice' with some coming way short of the benchmark already set. Those prejudices were soon dispelled as this edited paperback copy soon propelled me into an impressive and comprehensive array of perspectives on contemporary mental health nursing by many excellent contributions.
The two editors-Sir Ian Norman-Professor of Nursing and Inter-Disciplinary Care & Head of Mental Health Services at the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery and Iain Ryrie, Head of Research at the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health have assembled an excellent cast of eminent clinicians and academic contributors to illuminate and illustrate newer developments in mental health nursing thinking and practice from UK policy and service perspectives.
The book is divided neatly into five sections each providing particular emphasis to aid the student nurse or practitioner on various aspects of mental health nursing. Part of the beauty of the book is that each of the sections is succinctly and coherently considered to add to the debates and discussions on what is considered challenging within current practice. The collections of questions for reflection and discussion which follow each chapter provide an excellent resource for teaching and learning either for individual or group levels. Annotated bibliographies and well stocked reference lists add further to its richness.
One shortcoming if one has to quibble with, has to be the minimal attention given to an effective review or to the consideration of ideas from gender and cultural perspectives on mental health and ill health. One feels that the attempt made on these issues have been cursory to say the least.
Generally the book is easy to read. Most points are well illustrated with abundant bullet points to make the materials exposed palatable to the eye and mind. Focus has been maintained throughout to the needs of current professional practice and should be an excellent purchase for all mental health nurses and a very good read for other professional groups.
Part one (1) provides a context by highlighting the past and clarifying the contemporary with regards to changing views and ideas about psychological distress, mental health nursing and legal/ethical frameworks.
Subsequent parts from two to four (2-4) delve into the practicalities for everyday nursing situations under such headings as: Interventions, Applications and Core Procedures thereby suggesting a basis for anyone looking for evidence based practice with several user based vignettes.
Interpretations of several policy and service issues have been highlighted with succinct recommendations for mental health nursing which the reader could easily understand and adopt into practice. These include key UK NHS initiatives enshrined under the guise of the NHS Plan which include NICE and NSF. There is even a section on the `economics of atypical antipsychotic' (p319) as if to remind the reader of the sometimes harsh realities of modern economics on health care especially one that relies at times on the use of pharmacological interventions to alleviate mental ill health and distress. Perhaps there is a challenge in there too for the mental health nurse practitioner.
A challenge too has also been posed albeit at a brief level towards the entrenched positions adopted by the subjective-objective camps to reconsider their positions and adopt multiple views and arrangements thereby laying the foundations for the consideration of user focused and user sensitive care that views `capable users...who are well informed about mental health and mental health services at the centre of their care..." (p 103). Impressive stuff indeed.
Part five (5) headed by Steve Onyett sets out to explain and interpret the `team' concept, perhaps quite significantly espousing the current predilection for collaborative working in the many arenas of mental health care and which the mental health nurse is called upon to be an active member of. The remit for education within this sphere has been raised with some interesting observations made on "professional self-determination and diversity of role... thus placing an imperative for lifelong learning and the interdependent nature of education and training" (p811).
The editors' end with a final chapter in discussing several reflections by attempting to revisit their objectives for the book as based on the three themes of "national policy, service user expectations and professional diversity". They have achieved these objectives by a considerable margin where the argument for an integrative approach to mental health nursing have been equally aided and abetted by their well chosen contributors.Roland S Kandiah
RMN, SRN, DipN, Cert Ed (FE), BEd (Hons), MSc
School of Mental Health & Learning Disabilities
University of the West of England (Bristol).


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"Although there are a number of books of this nature, this book is clearly in a superior league, and is presented in a format which is easily read and accessible…It is very difficult to find criticism with this book as it serves to explore countless aspects providing a wealth of research, case studies and current policies and service provision…A must for all students."Mental Health Practice
"At last we have a book that grounds mental health nursing in the evidence.This comprehensive text combines both scholarship with ease of reading. Theeditors and contributors are to be congratulated on producing this excellent andvaluable work."Philip Burnard, Vice Dean, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Cardiff University
"Norman and Ryrie provide an integrative account of the discipline that accommodates many origins, influences and practices. I feel sure this book will be of considerable benefit to undergraduate nursing students and to qualified nurses engaged in professional development activities. I also believe the book is necessary reading for those who train our nursing workforce." Andrew McCulloch, Chief Executive, The Mental Health Foundation
"I think that if there was only one book I could suggest as an essential text for nursing students at any level, it would be this one. Lecturers, please note! It really is an excellent read."Mental Health Nursing

What are the foundations of mental health nursing as a practice discipline?
What interventions do mental health nurses draw upon?
How can mental health nurses engage clients as partners in care and promote their recovery?
Mental health nursing is an art and a science; concerned with both the therapeutic relationship between nurse and client and the skills required for evidence-based practice. Nurses need to find ways of integrating both these elements to meet service users' demands and policy directives for mental health services.
This book provides an integrative account of mental health nursing, which incorporates its knowledge base and the practical skills required by nurses to meet the demands of national healthcare policy and service users' expectations.
Pedagogy to support readers includes chapter overviews and summary points, questions for reflection, annotated bibliographies, and fascinating case studies and service users' views to illustrate everyday clinical situations.
Essential reading for students, post-qualification mental health nurses and nurse lecturers.
Contributors:Peter Ashton, Robin Basu, Geoff Brennan, Daniel Bressington, Alison Carolan, Joe Curran, Jacqueline Curthroys, Philip Fennell, Richard Ford, Catherine Gamble, Lina Gega, Richard Gray, Kevin Gournay, Susan Gurney, Simon Houghton, John Keady, Cheryl Kipping, Steve Morgan, Ian Norman, Ian Noonan, Kingsley Norton, Steve Onyett, Leah Ousley, Shaun Parsons, Rachel Perkins, Hagen Rampes, Julie Repper, Paul Rogers, Iain Ryrie, Susan Sookoo, Marc Thurgood, Gill Todd, Janet Treasure, Keith Tudor, Andrew Wetherell, Phil Woods.

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