Psychiatric nursing: A specialty in greater demand

Abstract

Health-care professionals acquire negative and discriminatory attitudes toward mental health. Psychiatric nursing is considered a less valuable field and they choose to work in a psychiatric setting only when there are no other employment opportunities. The global burden of disease study (2017) shows that 197.3 million people had mental disorders in India and one in seven Indians were affected by mental disorders. Extending the theory and clinical posting hours in psychiatry helps to promote a sense of preparedness and reducing the negative stereotypes can contribute to develop an interest in a future career in psychiatric nursing. Mental health is the foundation for the well-being and effective functioning of an individual. They play a plethora of roles such as case manager (clinical nurse), mentor, lecturer, researcher, policymaker, counselor, and clinical psychologist. Hence, it is the right time to choose this right field, which has a lot of opportunities.