Introduction
Mental health is a state of mind that allows for successful brain performance and results in productive activities, successful relationships, and the ability to deal with problems. Health organizations set goals for improving mental health among the population. Two of these goals are to reduce suicide attempts by adolescents and decrease and control disordered eating by teenagers. It is essential to understand that to maintain mental health, one has to take his or her physical well-being seriously. Nurses can monitor children’s mental health with the help of trauma-informed approach.
Objectives of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Suicide attempts by adolescents are one of the leading problems in today’s society. The reason for choosing the objective to decrease the suicide rate is that it is the second prominent problem in our community (King, Arango & Ewell Foster, 2018). According to King, Arango & Ewell Foster (2018), there is an increase in suicide rate among people aged 14-25 accounted for 25.7% in 2000-2015. As a nurse, I would consider interpersonal trauma in the prevention of suicide attempts. A teenager can be exposed to traumatic events when being bullied or beaten by parents. 29 studies on adolescents revealed that those who were subject to maltreatment and violence attempted suicide (Castellví et al., 2017). After the cause has been identified, it is crucial to pursue dialogue with the person and let him or her talk about it. Moreover, it is essential to develop strategies that can prevent child maltreatment. Although it is not my direct responsibility as a nurse, I can assist in implementing those strategies.
Controlling disordered eating is another goal that is established by health organizations. The reason for choosing this goal is that disordered eating is linked to other diseases such as type 1 diabetes followed by depression and anxiety (Rose et al., 2020). Disordered eating includes calorie restriction, insulin omission to lose weight, and excessive exercising. The nurse’s responsibility in this situation is to send a patient along to a dietitian nutritionist who will help prevent the issue from progressing into an eating disorder. In general, disordered eating is difficult to detect because patients usually do not understand that they have a problem. That is why the nurse has to convince and send them to a specialist. Thus, nurses have to take a step in controlling disordered eating.
Physical Health and Mental Health
There is a clear difference between the words “body” and “mind,” but lately, scholars encourage connecting physical health and mental health because one impacts the other. According to Naylor et al. (2016), people with psychological issues are less likely to receive treatment of heart diseases and arthritis because specialists are focused more on the mental alignment itself. The example of a physical health affecting one’s mind is not getting enough sleep. The reason for sleep deprivation might be the elevated production of stress hormones in the blood. This condition can lead to the outbreak of depression and anxiety. Another study by Nie et al. (2018) shows the connection between immune inflammation and depression by manipulating the immune receptors in mice. Researchers exposed animals to stress and observed the release of substances called cytokines that play an essential role in the inflammatory response. The exposure led to the damage in the prefrontal cortex in the brain responsible for depressive episodes. Thus, they were able to connect physical disorder, such as inflammation, to depression.
Psoriasis, as a physical disorder, can also affect mental health. Psoriasis is an alignment characterized by red sores on the skin. The visual presence of this disease can bring significant distress to the patient causing further complications. According to Bang, Yoon, & Chun (2019), the T helper type 17 cells play a role in the neuroimmune response, causing depression and anxiety. This study can be compared to Nie et al. ‘s paper because they link impairment in the immune system to the outbreak of mental diseases.
Trauma-Informed Care for Traumatized Child Assistance
Children are continually being encountered in emergencies and traumatic events. Over 22 million children visit emergency departments in the United States every year (Marsac, Kassam-Adams, & Hildenbrand, 2016). Medical activities can be challenging for children and their families or can cause severe psychological reactions. In addition to medical events, other traumas that individuals can face during childhood, such as bullying, beating, and abuse can cause post-traumatic stress. To cope with its high prevalence and improve pediatric health care, there was a need to introduce trauma-informed care (TIC). Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration gives this technique the most accurate definition. According to SAMHSA, “a trauma-informed approach encompasses how programs, organizations, and broader systems understand and respond to individuals who have experienced or may be at risk for experiencing traumatic events” (as cited in Marsac, Kassam-Adams, & Hildenbrand, 2016, p. 70). This approach consists of 4 elements: analyzing the effect of trauma, recognizing how this trauma can affect individuals, applying knowledge about trauma, and preventing further traumatic instances. This practice has to be implemented in everyday routine to avoid potentially traumatic events.
Nurses need to understand existing emotional distresses as well as traumas related to medical circumstances. TIC can help specialists and parents to recognize the trauma. Children react to psychological injury differently, but they all share a universal response. They may have elevated aggression, poor socializing skills, and abuse of substance behavior. Nurses trained in TIC know how to communicate with these children and help them to cope with so-called “triggers” that remind them of trauma. Nurses can also involve parents and guide them in assisting their offspring.
TIC also enhances the child-serving system by raising understanding of children’s needs.
Children who are unable to regulate their responses to the situations are not “bad,” but they do not suit the environment around them. Nurses’ responsibility is to raise awareness about this and change the language between children and their parents. This change shifts adults’ concerns about child’s behavior to how to regulate their emotional control.
Nurses can indirectly assist a child with TIC and other service providers, such as teachers, caregivers, and juvenile justice workers. They stay on the next line of defense after parents and are responsible for children’s mental well-being. These people play an essential role in preventing traumas in children or helping them to cope with stress. Thus, nurses can be a connecting link between medical specialists and other caregivers.
Conclusion
To conclude, health institutions set goals to improve the mental health of the population. Two of those goals are to reduce the instance of suicide and disordered eating among adolescents. Nurses can achieve this through collaborative work and communication. Along with mental health, people have to take their physical health because one depends on the other. Finally, nurses can help children to cope with traumatic events with the help of TIC.
References
Bang, C. H., Yoon, J. W., & Chun, J. H. (2019). Association of psoriasis with mental health disorders in South Korea. JAMA Dermatology, 155(6), 747-749.
Castellví, P., Miranda‐Mendizábal, A., Parés‐Badell, O., Almenara, J., Alonso, I., Blasco, M. J. … J. Alonso. (2016). Exposure to violence, a risk for suicide in youths and young adults. A meta‐analysis of longitudinal studies. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 135(3), 195- 211.
King, C. A., Arango, A., & Ewell Foster, C. (2018). Emerging trends in adolescent suicide prevention research. Current Opinion in Psychology, 22, 89– 94.
Marsac, M. L., Kassam-Adams, N., & Hildenbrand, A. K. (2016). Implementing a trauma-informed approach in pediatric health care networks. JAMA Pediatrics, 170(1), 70-77.
Naylor, C., Das, P., Ross, S., Honeyman, M., Thompson, J., & Gilburt, H. (2016). Bringing together physical and mental health: A new frontier for integrated care. Web.
Nie, X., Kitaoka, S., Tanaka, K., Segi-Nishida, E., Imoto, Y., Ogawa, A., … Narumiya, S. (2018). The innate immune receptors tlr2/4 mediate repeated social defeat stress-induced social avoidance through prefrontal microglial activation. Neuron, 99(3), 464-479.
Rose, M., Streisand, R., Tully, C., Clary, L., Monaghan, M., Wang, J., & Mackey, E. (2020). Risk of disordered eating behaviors in adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 1-9.