psychiatric nursing
a specialty within the field of nursing that provides holistic care to individuals with mental disorders or behavioral problems so as to promote their physical and psychosocial well-being. It emphasizes the use of interpersonal relationships as a therapeutic agent and considers the environmental factors that influence mental health. Thus, psychiatric nurses not only provide physical care but also socialize and communicate with their patients to create a safe, comfortable environment that promotes positive change. Their specific responsibilities often include assisting patients with activities of daily living, administering psychotropic medication and managing side effects, assisting with crisis management, observing patients to evaluate their progress, offering guidance and other forms of interpersonal support to patients, participating in recreational activities with patients, educating patients and their families about mental health issues and
lifestyle choices, and conducting group therapy. Registered nurses wishing to become psychiatric nurses complete additional training in pharmacology and the behavioral and social sciences. They practice in a variety of settings—including general and psychiatric hospitals, assisted living facilities, long-term care centers, physicians’ offices, correctional facilities, community mental health centers, rehabilitation centers, and private homes (see home care)—in conjunction with psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and other mental health professionals. Psychiatric nurses are distinct from psychiatric nurse practitioners, who have obtained master’s or doctoral degrees and more advanced training to practice privately and perform additional assessment, diagnostic, and therapeutic functions, including conducting individual psychotherapy and prescribing medication. Also called mental health nursing.