Advanced Practice in Mental Health Nursing

Advanced Practice in Mental Health Nursing draws on international expertise to provide a collection of perspectives on important clinical, theoretical and policy issues facing mental health nurses in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia and Scandinavia. Diverse perspectives are given full voice in this text, enriching and extending the discussion of mental health nursing. The book begins with a consumer viewpoint. Psychiatry is vilified by some authors and left unchallenged by others. The nurse-patient relationship is considered the centrepiece of practice by several contributors, whereas others focus on programmatic issues or on consumer autonomy and empowerment. Challenging diagnostic categories, such as personality disorder and dementia, are tackled. The young and the elderly are given their due as clients requiring skilled and qualified care by advanced nurse clinicians. The international scope of this book emphasises the consistent concerns that frame approaches to practice locally and internationally. This text brings together the experiences and expertise of consumers, leading practitioners and academics to provide a text aimed at advanced practitioners, and masters and doctoral program students. It will also be of direct interest to managers and service providers.