Charlotte A. Herrick

Underutilization of mental health services by Asian-Americans residing in the United States.

Asian-Americans are the fastest-growing minority in the United States, and they are a culturally diverse group. Knowledge about this growing minority population is important for the purposes of planning appropriate mental health care. Asian-Americans living in the United States rarely use mental health services. The reasons for this, along with suggestions for developing more culturally sensitive mental health services, are presented. A model for cultural competence can provide a framework for psychiatric nurses and other mental health professionals (MHPs) to become more aware of Asian-American values and beliefs and provide more culturally sensitive care. Awareness tools are included to guide MHPs in determining whether culturally competent care is available locally to meet the needs of this underserved population.

A Prearranged Mentorship Program: Can It Work Long Distance?.

Mentoring is a supportive and nurturing relationship between an expert and a novice. A formal mentorship program was embarked on by the Southern Council on Collegiate Education in Nursing during the early 1990s. The purpose of this article is to share the unique experience of two faculty who were assigned as mentors through a written inventory process and who were able to establish a successful mentorship, overcoming the barriers of time, distance, and an apparent mismatch of interests and clinical skills. The authors recommend mentoring as an important professional endeavor. Everyone-mentor, protégé, and the nursing profession as a whole-gains during the mentoring process.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration: The Need to Revisit

Given the complexity of the health care system and the prevalence of acute and chronic mental illnesses, multi-system interventions from an interdisciplinary team of health care providers are necessary to address the needs of individuals in psychiatric and mental health treatment venues. Despite claims that interdisciplinary practice is the norm, in reality it is difficult to accomplish (18). Students must be taught the principles and elements of this way of providing care in order to succeed. This paper describes strategies for educating undergraduate nursing students to engage in interdisciplinary collaborative practice. Two case studies are used to illustrate how teaching collaborative skills can be integrated into a psychiatric undergraduate nursing course.

Mental disorders and syndromes found among Asians residing in the United States.

The Asian population in the United States is the fastest growing minority; consequently it behooves psychiatric nurses and other mental health professionals to be aware of symptom presentation of emotional problems that may differ from those of other population groups. Specific syndromes, psychiatric disorders, and symptoms that commonly present as physical disorders are discussed. Recommended adaptations of psychiatric interventions, including medications and other therapies, are offered to enable mental health professionals to provide culturally sensitive care. Mental health care that is culturally competent may improve access to care for Asians residing in the United States.

PSYCHIATRIC NURSING CASE MANAGEMENT: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE

This literature review examines the evolution of psychiatric nursing case management in the United States. Various models, both inpatient and outpatient, are described, along with the roles of the case manager in each setting. The development of clinical pathways to monitor and document outcomes in acute settings is examined, along with the difficulties in adapting them specifically to psychiatric nursing case management. The types of data collected and the use of outcomes to support programs for the mentally ill are reviewed. Finally, recommendations for psychiatric nursing case management are made to provide guidelines for the future.