Challenges and choices in child and adolescent mental health-psychiatric nursing.
Challenges to the profession of child and adolescent mental health-psychiatric nursing, and choices available to address these challenges, are examined. The challenges stem from the large numbers of children in need of mental health services, the many risk factors to which children and families are exposed, and society's inadequate responses. Research evidence demonstrates that the gap between mental health needs and services for children results not from ignorance, but rather from a lack of commitment to providing a coordinated system of mental health services. Nurses are among the most appropriate professionals to address these needs for a coordinated system of care, but are not viewed as child mental health experts by the public or by policymakers. Nurses can demonstrate that child mental health nursing programs are effective by choosing to support programs that work, by conducting research projects that test nursing interventions, and by educating students to meet the needs of children and families for coordinated and cost-effective care. Finally, nurses must publicize their successes so that the public recognizes nursing's role in promoting children's mental health.
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Killeen
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends*; D015399:Nursing Research / Q000639:trends; D011364:Professional Practice / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing / Q000193:education / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends*