The nursing care of people experiencing affective disorder: a review of the literature

Abstract

Contemporary nursing concepts of care for people with affective disorder are a function, at least in part, of the available nursing literature. Cormack suggested that the literature could be defined in terms of 'prescriptions of care' and 'descriptions of care'. This review summarizes some of the best-known British and North American nursing texts of the last 30 years in an effort to identify the views of affective disorder used by authors and the main strategies recommended or described in relation to the care of people with such disorders. Some of the 'descriptive' studies reported in Britain over the past decade which highlight the nurses' orientation to care and methods used, are similarly evaluated. The trend away from reliance upon traditional intrapsychic concepts in favour of more eclectic approaches is acknowledged. However, many prescriptions for care fail to indicate whether or not research support exists for specific orientations to care. Also, given the size of the population, the number of published descriptive accounts, especially research reports, related to the care of people with affective disorder are a cause for concern. The review suggests a need for nurses to develop, research and report conceptual models of nursing for the care of the person with affective disorder.

Locus of control in women with a diagnosis of manic‐depressive psychosis

“…The narrow focus of traditional psychiatric theory has exerted an influence upon psychiatric nursing. A review of the psychiatric nursing literature suggested that many authors had not been sufficiently critical of the research basis of many care practices described and recommended concerning people with depression (Barker 1989a). A critical examination of the written (final) examination for the 9 psychiatric nursing programme of the National Board for Nursing in Scotland suggested, further, that students were encouraged to adopt a narrow biomedical view of affective disorder, evidenced by references in the exam questions to 'conditions, signs and symptoms' (Barker 1989b).…”

Jeg kjenner det bruser i meg -- pasientkunnskap om mani som fenomen og lidelse

“…Hovedtyngden av treff knyttes til forholdet mellom psykiatrisk sykepleie og mani i et medisinsk-pykiatrisk perspektiv. Her fokuseres diagnostikk, epidemiologi, farmakologisk behandling samt psykososiale intervensjoner (7). Den humanistiske forskningslitteraturen vektlegger samarbeidets nødvendighet, relasjonens likeverdighet, en kontekstuell forståelse av mani samt en helhetlig tilnaerming til pasientens livsverden (8,9).…”