Legal Implications of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing

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Legal Implications of Psychiatric Mental Health
Nursing
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• 1.Definition of mental health law
• 2. Tasks and duties of mental health nurse
• 3. Skills of mental health nurse
• 4 Personal qualities of mental health nurse
• 5. Tertiary education
• 6. Salary.

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Menthal health law

• Mental health law is that area of law that deals
  with mental conditions. This includes areas
• -common law
• -statute law.

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Common law

• Common law is based on case law rather than
  statutes, issues include such concepts as
• - mens rea,
• - insanity defences,
• - sane and insane automatism amongst others.

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Statute law

• Statute law usually takes the form of a Mental
  health act or equivalent. An example is the
  Mental Health Act 1983 in England and Wales.

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• The Mental Health Act 1983 (1983 c. 20) is a
  statute law in England and Wales, part of the
  United Kingdom. It covers the reception, care and
  treatment of mentally disordered persons, the
  management of their property and other related
  matters.

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• In particular, it provides the legislation by
  which people suffering from a mental disorder can
  be detained in hospital and have their disorder
  assessed or treated against their wishes,
  unofficially known as "sectioning". Its use is
  reviewed and regulated by a special health
  authority known as the Mental Health Act
  Commission (MHAC).

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Common law

• Common law is based on case law rather than
  statutes, issues include such concepts as
• - mens rea,
• - insanity defences,
• - sane and insane automatism amongst others.

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• These acts codify aspects of the treatment of
  mental illness and provides rules and procedures
  to be followed and penalties for breaches. Mental
  health acts are largely used in the management of
  psychosis where a person has lost the ability to
  test reality.

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• They may also be used for other conditions
  including personality disorders. The laws
  generally allow for compulsory treatment in a
  psychiatric hospital or in the community.

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• In some jurisdictions court orders are required
  for compulsory treatment while in others treating
  psychiatrists may treat compulsorily by following
  set procedures. In the latter case there are
  usually methods of appeal or regular scrutiny to
  ensure compliance with the law.

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• Not all countries have mental health acts. The
  world health report (2001) lists the following
  percentages by region for countries in those
  regions with and without mental health
  legislation.

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• Regions With legislation No legislation Africa
  59 41 The Americas 73 27 Eastern
  Mediterranean 59 41 Europe 96 4 South-East
  Asia 67 33 Western Pacific 72 28

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Mental Health Nurse

• Description A mental health nurse provides
  treatment, care and support for people with
  emotional, mental and behavioural problems.

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Tasks and duties

• Works with people to identify their problems
• Develops a therapeutic relationship
• Facilitates advocacy
• Observes and reports on the person's physical and
  mental state
• Administers prescribed medication

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Tasks and duties

• Assesses and treats a person using a nursing
  framework such as theory of interpersonal
  relations
• Works within a multi-disciplinary team
• Assists people with self-care and other daily
  activities

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Tasks and duties

• Provides advice and support, facilitating and
  integrating a recovery approach
• Provides education for service users and their
  families on mental illness, available services,
  and strategies to cope with illness
• Leads and assists in therapy groups

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Tasks and duties

• May give evidence in court
• Visits people in their community
• May be involved in mental health nursing research

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Skills

• Mental health nurses are skilled in the
  specialised use of communication, counselling,
  drugs used in psychiatry, applying specialty
  knowledge in the provision of clinical
  assessment, monitoring, therapeutic
  interventions, treatment, and referral to other
  health professionals.

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Skills

• They work with individuals, groups and their
  families in a variety of settings, providing
  primary health care, health maintenance, acute
  care and care of people with long-term mental
  distress and/or illness. Some mental health
  nurses have special responsibilities under the
  Mental Health Act 1992.

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Personal Qualities

• Mental health nurses must be concerned for
  others, mature and responsible, and able to work
  well under pressure. They should also be patient
  and good at listening, and able to deal with
  people from a variety of backgrounds and cultures.

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Tertiary Education

• Mental health nurses need to have a Bachelor of
  Nursing to enter the job. Mental health nurses
  must be registered with the Nursing Council of
  New Zealand, and they must also have a current
  Annual Practicing Certificate.

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Salary

• Salary varies, but mental health nurses usually
  earn between 30,000 and 50,000 per year.
  Overtime and allowances for shift work may
  increase these figures.

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• 1. Mental health law - area of law that deals
  with mental conditions.
• 2.The aim of mental health nurse is to provide
  treatment, care and support for people with
  mental disorders
• 3. Skills specific knowledes aout psychiatric
  disorders
• 4 Personal qualities of mental health nurse
• 5. Tertiary education
• 6. Salary.