Community/Public Health Nursing 6th Edition by Mary Nies ,Melanie McEwen

Exercise 1

A study by Eriksen and colleagues (2012) demonstrates how users of mental health services describe and make sense of their meetings with other people. Acknowledging and valuing one other is an essential human characteristic that promotes individual dignity and vulnerability in relationships. The group utilized the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore peoples' relationship to the world and how they make sense of their life experiences. Participants represented people living with mental health problems who depended on others for support and help in their everyday lives. Participants often would report the process "to be recognized" as a phenomenon in their life. To be recognized as a human being and be recognized as a human being struggling with a chronic mental health problems was helpful in their struggle in self-preservation. Mental health professionals may be challenged to recognize the struggle of the person with a serious mental illness (SMI). Mental health professionals can be helpful and instrumental in health promotion with SMI populations.