NS2202: Mental Health/Psychiatric Nursing

Course Description:

This course introduces nursing students to the fundamental principles and practices of psychiatric and mental health nursing. Focus is on understanding mental health concepts, therapeutic communication, the nursing process in psychiatric care, and the management of common mental health disorders.

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

1. Define mental health, mental illness, and key psychiatric concepts.
2. Apply the nursing process to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate care for patients with mental health problems.
3. Demonstrate effective therapeutic communication with patients and their families.
4. Identify and describe common psychiatric disorders, including anxiety, mood disorders, schizophrenia, personality disorders, and substance use disorders.
5. Recognize ethical, cultural, and legal issues in mental health nursing practice.
6. Describe basic psychopharmacology principles and the nurse’s role in medication management.
7. Develop awareness of self-care, professional boundaries, and patient advocacy in psychiatric nursing.

Required Materials

Textbooks: Townsend, M. C. (2020). Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing: Concepts of Care in Evidence-Based Practice (10th ed.). Lecture notes and PowerPoint slides

• Educational Videos / Movies: Safe, educational clips and documentaries (YouTube or Nursing Education Channels) covering:
• Therapeutic communication, psychiatric disorders, crisis intervention, psychopharmacology, child & adolescent mental health, geriatric mental health.
• Selected films for awareness and discussion: Delibal (for depression & young adult mental health)
• Student notebooks for reflection and discussion
• Other culturally appropriate films or short documentaries focusing on psychiatric conditions.