Chapter 17. Care of the Client with Psychiatric Disorders

The past decade has been an exciting time for psychiatric nursing. Technological advances have given us the ability to study not only the physical structure of the brain, but also how chemical messengers (known as neurotransmitters) affect our mood and behavior. The depiction of the hopelessness of mental illness has been partly done away with by the release of movies and books that depict the challenges faced by those with mental illness. Finally, the discovery of newer and more effective drugs has made it possible for many of those with mental illness to lead more normal lives.

Although it is not possible to cover all the psychiatric disorders described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR), this chapter will review the most commonly diagnosed disorders: anxiety-related disorders, personality disorders, the psychotic disorders of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, substance abuse, and the disorders most often seen in childhood and adolescence.