Rädsla, attityd, miljö och okunkskap

: Faktorer som kan påverka sjuksköterskors bemötande av patienter med psykisk sjukdom

Abstract

Background: Nurses are in daily contact with people that has a mental illness regardless of where they work. It is commonly known that mental illness is increasing among the populations throughout the world. The general attitude in our society towards people with a mental illness is often negative and with fear. Objective: The aim is to highlight factors that will affect a basic trained nurse in somatic care, and the treatment of patients with a mental disorder. Method: A general literature review is conducted in a systematic way, where ten scientific articles are requested, reviewed, evaluated and then analyzed. There are six qualitative and four quantitative reviews. Results: Stigma, discrimination, and a tendency of treating mentally ill patients differently then other patients, is found to be common in somatic wards. Factors that influence nurses’ response, in addition to a general weakness in the caring environment, are fear and ignorance. Discussion: Most nurses have a negative attitude towards patients with a mental illness. Many of these nurses also feel they lack the necessary knowledge and skill that is required to properly care for these patients. Conclusion: Nurses require sufficient knowledge through education. In addition, they also benefit greatly from the caring environments support. It has to be brought forward that an awareness regarding the nurses’ attitudes and interest in understanding a patient may affect the outcome of how one is being perceived. There is a need for more psychiatric training to battle this negative attitude and fear.