31 May 2022

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Role of the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner: A Military Veteran Perspective

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Academic level: Master’s

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Not many people allude to the fact that mental disorder can happen to anyone, with many believing that it is a rare disorder which is not common. The fact of the matter is, mental disorder is a widespread condition which has resulted to the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) giving it a priority with the aim of combating cases, such as suicide, which may arise as a result of mental illness. Mental disorder is an illness which causes a disturbance in behavior and cognitive senses thereby leading to the inability of one coping with certain demands in life. This has been exemplified especially by veterans who become mentally disturbed after returning home from war. Developing mental disorder by a family member can cause adverse physical, and emotional effects such as isolation to both the sick and the family as not many families are always prepared to manage the situation of having a mentally ill loved one. This is why this condition needs to be addressed with urgency and professionalism to avoid fatalities that may come about as a result of mental disorder. 

In recent times, the United States has constantly been at war resulting in a crisis among military veterans. Most veterans suffer from post-war trauma and mental depression which makes a number of them plunge into drug and substance abuse to seek solace or suicide in dire situations. It has called for access to mental health services to control the issue. The services seem not be efficient probably because of the quality of mental health services offered. Thus, calling for Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) to come in. The main work of PMHNP is to work with the affected by developing a diagnosis and plan care then put it into action, and thereafter evaluate its effectiveness (Dobscha, 2014) . The expertise which PMHNP has is vital if the veterans were to be treated with the professionalism that will see most of them heal from the mental disorder, and lead a normal life. 

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Working with military veterans is a crucial aspect of dealing with mental health issues. This is because of the high rate of depression which veterans endure after coming back home from war missions. Statistics have proved that veteran men and women are highly placed to commit suicide compared to the civilians (Kemp, 2014) . Therefore, this calls for PMHNP to step up, and be aware of the risks which contribute to such cases happening and develop psychiatrist skills which will help veterans overcome the situation. For effective measures, PMHNP will be required to collaborate with non-profit institutions and communities at state and local levels to combat post-traumatic disorder and increase crisis intervention measures and access of mental health services for veterans who have served the country with utmost dedication. This will go great lengths in addressing the issue of mental disorder in the brave men and women who are in a critical place of their lives. 

The Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner will play an important role in working with military veterans in an inpatient setting (de Nesnera, 2016) . This is because they will offer primary care services to both the military veterans and their families. This service will include assessing, diagnosing, and treatment of the mentally ill veterans with their full range of therapeutic skills, which include the prescription of medicine and administering of psychotherapy services. By working with veterans on an inpatient level, it will be easier to detect the mental health condition of each patient and find means which will help contain the condition from escalating. An inpatient facility is also important in psychotherapy as it makes the patients access PMHNP services and gives the professionals an opportunity to tackle other issues. For instance, educating military veterans on substance abuse prevention and family counseling, which will go a long way in addressing the issue of mental disorder and the effects on patients and their families. 

After war missions, military veterans could be assisted to re-enter the society by taking them through counseling programs. These programs could be done by PMHNP immediately after veterans have been discharged from official duties, to give them a chance to undergo drug and substance prevention programs, marriage and job counseling, and also family counseling (Schaffer, 2016) . Because of the post-war trauma that t hey develop, veterans have the prevalence of contemplating suicide. Therefore, to control that situation, it is important to establish PMHNP mobile response team at each local level as it is a successful plan that will go a long way in addressing the issue of mental disorder and suicide prevention among military veterans. 

It is not common for mentally ill patients to contemplate suicide after stressful and traumatic events in life. There are some who may consider suicide when they are stressed with life and feel there is no way out others resort to substance or destruction as an escape path. It would be unfair to deny that mental disorder is a big issue among military veterans in the country, and it calls for Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner to take drastic measures to contain the situation which may cause physical and emotional suffering to the patients and their families. It is prudent for the PMHNP to establish suicidal thoughts on war veterans in an inpatient setting through psychotherapy and provide a safe environment for patients to recuperate. Suicide is preventable, and to do that, PMHNP has to ensure that critical measures are adopted, to ensure military veterans lead a normal life, free of mental disorder and suicidal thoughts after their war missions. 

References 

de Nesnera, A., & Allen, D. E. (2016). Expanding the role of psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners in a state psychiatric system: The New Hampshire experience. Psychiatric Services, 67(5), 482-484. 

Dobscha, S. K., Denneson, L. M., Kovas, A. E., Teo, A., Forsberg, C. W., Kaplan, M. S., ... & McFarland, B. H. (2014). Correlates of suicide among veterans treated in primary care: Case–control study of a nationally representative sample. Journal of general internal medicine, 29(4), 853-860. 

Kemp, J. E. (2014).  Suicide Rates in VHA Patients through 2011 with Comparisons with Other Americans and other Veterans through 2010 . Washington, DC: Veterans Health Administration. 

Schaffer, B. J. (2016). Incarcerated Veterans Outreach Program.  Journal of evidence-informed social work 13 (3), 293-3 

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StudyBounty. (2023, September 16). Role of the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner: A Military Veteran Perspective.
https://studybounty.com/role-of-the-psychiatric-mental-health-nurse-practitioner-a-military-veteran-perspective-essay

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