Court Decisions and Nursing Actions, Coursework Example

Introduction

The risk of intent to harm in psychiatric patients is often very high, as many of these persons possess a high degree of mental illness that impacts their health and overall capacity. Therefore, it is necessary to address how these cases may contribute to legal complications and other factors. In some cases, patients purposely harm others and then harm themselves, including murder-suicide cases. These circumstances convey the importance of taking patients with mental illness very seriously in order to avoid any possible complications that may lead to death or other serious complications. High-profile court cases have been observed in recent years in which the intent to harm has led to major tragedies, such as the mass shooting at a Colorado movie theater. It is important to address some of these concerns and to recognize how legal authority and decision-making play a role in how nurses treat patients with mental illness in order to reduce the intent to harm before any actions are taken. The following discussion will address these objectives in greater detail and will emphasize the importance of court cases and decisions and how they impact future nursing care for patients with mental illness.

Analysis

Mental illness introduces many serious challenges for those affected. If patients are mentally ill, they may not recognize right from wrong and/or have established an intent to harm another person, perhaps in relation to an event that took place in the past. Therefore, it is important to identify these concerns and to take the steps that are required to support and care for the mentally ill as a means of preventing further harm to themselves and to others. Mental health nurses must be proactive and attentive to the needs of these patients so that future risks are prevented and do not become high-profile cases with serious complications for patients. Patients with serious psychiatric problems must be properly evaluated so that a viable treatment plan will take place, including hospitalization in extreme cases. Patients with mental health issues who do not receive an adequate assessment and treatment plan may be subject to risk-taking behaviors that may pose a threat to their health, wellbeing, and legal status. Many patients with mental illness, however, go untreated for long periods of time to the extent that they may pose a threat to themselves and/or to others that may lead to criminal consequences (Hawton, Saunders, & O’Connor, 2012). An organized and detailed approach to mental health treatment, therefore, must occur, given the circumstances that surround these patients and their specific needs (Hawton et.al, 2012).

Mental health concerns in many patients are not properly diagnosed or treated, and the symptoms exacerbate the condition even further. This process requires nurses to be active participants in this process and in the development of new strategies to ensure that these patients are not ignored, as this will minimize their chances of posing harm to themselves or to others (Williamson & Daw, 2013). In this capacity, mental health professionals, including nurses, must be involved in all major aspects of care at all levels (Williamson & Daw, 2013). This process is instrumental in the prevention of harm and the development of new strategies to improve patient care outcomes for the mentally ill (Williamson & Daw, 2013).

Many patients with mental illness fall through the cracks of the system, and this demonstrates a lack of reasonable focus and judgment throughout healthcare practice (Stiffman et.al, 2010). In this capacity, many patients with mental illness who are not treated or are treated inadequately may pose a threat to themselves and to others, either during hospitalization or on their own (Stiffman et.al, 2010). These factors play an important role in shaping how the healthcare system responds to the mentally ill in order to prevent further consequences (Stiffman et.al, 2010). When patients do not receive adequate care in an outpatient or in a hospitalized setting, there is a significant risk that these patients will harm themselves and even break the law in many different ways. Therefore, additional measures must be taken that will be effective in supporting these patients and in preventing long term legal complications (Stiffman et.al, 2010.

Many people in the criminal justice system have varying degrees of mental illness; therefore, these patients must be taken seriously and treated according to established practice standards in order for nurses to have greater involvement in these practices and how they impact patients for the better (Prins, 2011). This is a serious and ongoing problem that requires adequate nurse input and feedback in order to accomplish the desired treatment objectives and prevention strategies to alleviate adverse events and responses to different situations (Prins, 2011). Many mentally ill persons are largely overrepresented in the criminal justice system, which poses a threat to their integrity and their ability to be effective contributors to society.

Conclusion

In response to the challenges of mental illness in the modern era, nurses must work in a mental health capacity as agents of change, whereby they are able to work collaboratively with patients to develop diagnoses and improve treatment planning. This process must be ongoing and is a likely contributor to the prevention of actions that may lead to legal consequences for patients. In this capacity, nurses must be able to address concerns so that their patients are not ignored. These patients must have the appropriate level of resources that will contribute to their recovery and the management of their condition effectively. Actions involving crime must be evaluated in order to determine if a mental health component exists. Nurses serve to conduct these evaluations and to take the steps that are required to ensure that the mentally ill are well cared for at all times and that they are able to act without committing any crimes in the process that could impact their lives.

References

Hawton, K., Saunders, K. E., & O’Connor, R. C. (2012). Self-harm and suicide in adolescents. The Lancet, 379(9834), 2373-2382.

Prins, S. J. (2011). Does transinstitutionalization explain the overrepresentation of people with journal, 47(6), 716-722.

Stiffman, A. R., Stelk, W., Horwitz, S. M., Evans, M. E., Outlaw, F. H., & Atkins, M. (2010). A public health approach to children’s mental health services: Possible solutions to current service inadequacies. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 37(1), 120-124.

Williamson, T., & Daw, R. (2013). Law, Values And Practice In Mental Health Nursing: A Handbook: A Handbook. McGraw-Hill International.