Michael Nash

Oral health is often neglected in mental healthcare, which puts service users at risk of developing oral health conditions that can reduce their quality of life and negatively affect their general health outcomes. Many oral conditions – for example, tooth decay and periodontitis – are preventable with regular oral hygiene and lifestyle modifications. By increasing their knowledge and skills in oral healthcare, mental health nurses can improve service users’ oral health and quality of life. Vital aspects of the role for mental health nurses include encouraging service users to adopt simple daily oral hygiene routines, liaising with dental professionals such as dentists and hygienists, conducting regular oral health assessments, monitoring the side effects of psychotropics, and advocating for better access to dental services.

Background Preventive health screening is crucial for the early identification and treatment of physical conditions in people with severe mental illness. There is little research on health screening by mental health nurses. Aim To examine the preventive health-screening activities of mental health nurses in Ireland. Method A descriptive cross-sectional design was used. An online survey examining preventive health-screening activities was distributed to a convenience sample of qualified mental health nurses. Results A total of 251 respondents completed the survey. Around 70% (n=176) were involved in preventive health-screening activities. The clinical areas in which respondents most undertook screening activities were cardiometabolic in nature. The clinical areas in which respondents least undertook screening activities were all related to cancer. Conclusion Mental health nurses need to be mindful of the importance of screening service users for physical conditions and need appropriate education, skills training, resources and pathways to reduce screening gaps.

(1) Background: To examine the prevalence, and associated factors of, problematic Internet use in a sample of Spanish university students. (2) Methods: Cross-sectional descriptive study of a convenience sample of 698 university students. Self-esteem, alcohol consumption, perceived social support, depression, anxiety, stress and problematic Internet use were evaluated using the Rosenberg, CAGE, DUKE-UNC-11, DASS-21 and Young’s Internet Addiction Test, respectively. (3) Results: Problematic internet use was reported by 21% of respondents. Risk of problematic Internet use was independently associated with the preferred use of the smartphone, time of exposure to the Internet, less perceived social support, problematic alcohol consumption and symptoms of stress and anxiety. We found significant association between problematic internet use and time of exposure to the Internet, residential status, alcohol consumption, self-esteem, perceived social support and psychological distress, after bivariate analysis. (4) Conclusions: A considerable prevalence of problematic Internet use was found; in our sample problematic Internet use was associated with stress, alcohol consumption, anxiety and perceived social support. Strategies aimed at the early identification of problematic Internet use may lead to an improvement in the psychosocial health of the university student population.

Background Mental health disorders often begin in childhood and children spend a substantial amount of time in school. Adequately trained schoolteachers therefore have a role in the early identification of mental health issues in schoolchildren. Aim To explore the experiences, knowledge and training needs of Irish primary school teachers in relation to mental health issues in their pupils. Method This was a quantitative descriptive study with a cross-sectional design conducted in a convenience sample of primary school teachers in Ireland using an online survey sent to members of two teaching unions. Results The mental health issues that respondents most often encountered in their pupils were anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism and oppositional defiant disorder. Respondents had varying degrees of knowledge of symptoms of mental health issues and of mental healthcare for children. Most respondents had not received training in children’s mental health and were motivated to receive such training. Most respondents had positive attitudes towards supporting schoolchildren with mental health issues. Conclusion There is an opportunity for mental health nurses to become involved in training and supporting primary school teachers to identify children’s mental health issues.

People with severe mental illness often have suboptimal physical health and experience a wide range of comorbidities, including cancer, that affect health outcomes. Cancer nurses may encounter patients with mental health issues such as depression or anxiety, but these conditions often arise as a reaction to a cancer diagnosis, whereas severe mental illness often predates a cancer diagnosis. The signs and symptoms of severe mental illness can make it harder for people to engage in their cancer care, which can present complex challenges for cancer nurses. This article explores cancer care in relation to severe mental illness and examines some important signs and symptoms and how they may affect cancer care. The article also considers ways in which cancer nurses can support person-centred cancer care for people with severe mental illness.

Rapid tranquillization is a pharmacological intervention sometimes employed in mental health care for the management of acute behavioural disturbance. It is a form of restrictive practice, which, along with seclusion and restraint, is a conventional and controversial intervention in the therapeutic management of risk in mental health settings. This study surveyed mental health nurses practice in rapid tranquillization. A self-report questionnaire was utilized which addressed aspects such as definitions of rapid tranquillization, presence of rapid tranquillization policy, types of incidents where it is used and postintervention monitoring. The results demonstrate that rapid tranquillization is an intervention used in the management of acute behavioural disturbance in various mental health settings in Ireland. Respondents showed a basic understanding of rapid tranquillization as an intervention; however, some areas reported not having a specific rapid tranquillization policy. There was some evidence of a variation in postrapid tranquillization monitoring of psychiatric/mental health and physical health. Service user debriefing following rapid tranquillization was reported to be common; however, the content of this was not elaborated on. In the light of variations in practice, specific training and the development of rapid tranquillization policies are recommended.