Promoting Mental Health and Wellbeing

Introduction to Montreal Cognitive Assessment

The presentation aims to develop an understanding regarding the daily life experiences of the people that are suffering from mental illnesses like Major Depression within Australian society. The presentation will include an overview of the symptoms, course of development and treatment options available along with nurse interviewing techniques. The current Australian mental health service initiatives designed for enhancing care for the people suffering from mental illness and for reducing the impact of this health condition will also be covered.

The Needs of The Person with Lived Experience

People suffering from major depression may have some needs different from others including an assessment and diagnosis and encouragement for treatment. In a nursing setting, a regular assessment of the mental health through assessment tools (such as mini-mental state examination) is required (Ciesielska et al., 2016 p1045). They are also required to be provided with culturally appropriate care where the choices of the affected person regarding food and others are needed to be respected. As individuals with depression need a high level of support from the family members, a partnership approach towards collaborative care is required to be taken under consideration. The peer and social support of the person affected by depression are also essential to avoid isolation and reduce loneliness.

How They Experience Their Illness (Common Symptoms, the Progress of Illness and Treatment Approaches)

Considering the criteria for depression in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, common symptoms may include persistent sadness, anxiety and emptiness, feelings of helplessness, hopelessness and worthlessness, lack of interest in previously pleasurable activities, recurrent thoughts of suicide or death, irritability, loss appetite along with sleep disturbances. Depression has been observed to take place mostly in the 20s of the individuals (Fusar-Poli, 2019 ). Major depression can last for a short period and long periods with severe symptoms also. Common treatment approach includes psychotherapy such as Cognitive Therapy where the individual is taught the new ways of thinking, behaving and changing habits. Additionally, Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is also used for people with severe symptoms that do not respond to medications.

Nurse Interviewing Techniques to Develop a Therapeutic Relationship (Both Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication Skills) with Individuals and Families Experiencing the Condition

Both the verbal and non-verbal interviewing techniques are important for the nurses to develop a therapeutic relationship with individuals and families. Among the verbal techniques, active listening is highly essential where the nurse assure a complete understanding of the patient issue through body languages and verbal cues. Along with this, validating the individual and family member’s feeling, showing empathy and reassuring are the best approaches where the nurses allow the individual and the family members to openly discuss their concern without the fear of judgement (Rosen et al., 2016 p1950). Partnering while questioning, adaptive questioning where the individual or family members are not interrupted while explaining their concern are important verbal techniques. The non-verbal techniques include facial expression, posture, eye contact, tone of voice and others that are important for reassuring the individuals in a therapeutic relationship.

An Outline of One Current Australian Service Initiative to Improve Care

The Department of Health Australia has taken several initiatives for improving care for individuals suffering from depression. Beyondblue: the National Depression Initiative is an approach taken by the Australian government through which individuals seeking information and support for depression may satisfy their needs. Another platform is MindSpot National Clinic that provides online assessment and treatment services for Australian adults suffering from depression (MindSpot Clinic, 2020). Apart from that National Perinatal Depression Initiative is also available that is purported for improving early detection and prevention of antenatal and postnatal depression and providing better support to the people affected by it (Department of Health, 2020).

Each member of the team should summarise the part of the presentation they developed. The summary should be written in full, grammatically correct sentences without spelling mistakes. Then all members of the group should meet to edit and proofread the summary together

Attach PowerPoint Slides here (two slides per presenter and a final slide for references)

Reference List for Montreal Cognitive Assessment

Ciesielska, N., Sokolowski, R., Mazur, E., Podhorecka, M., Polak-Szabela, A., & Kedziora-Kornatowska, K. (2016). Is the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test better suited than the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) detection among people aged over 60? Meta-analysis. Psychiatr Pol, 50(5), 1039-1052.

Department of Health. (2020). National Perinatal Depression Initiative. Retrieved 2 October 2020, from https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/mental-perinat

Fusar-Poli, P. (2019). Integrated mental health services for the developmental period (0 to 25 years): a critical review of the evidence. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10, 355.

MindSpot Clinic. (2020). Tried, tested, trusted by more than 100,000 Australians. Retrieved 2 October 2020, from https://mindspot.org.au/

Rosen, N. O., Bois, K., Mayrand, M. H., Vannier, S., & Bergeron, S. (2016). Observed and perceived disclosure and empathy are associated with better relationship adjustment and quality of life in couples coping with vulvodynia. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 45(8), 1945-1956.

Remember, at the center of any academic work, lies clarity and evidence. Should you need further assistance, do look up to our Nursing Assignment Help