 Accessing Mental Health Services
'If you believe one of your clients may have a mental illness or is already known to have an existing mental illness, it is important that you know how to obtain assistance from mental health/psychiatric services...' This fact sheet outlines some different types of mental health/psychiatric services; so that a patient displaying mental health issues can be directed to the most appropriate service.
As a result, this fact sheet is an ideal hand-out for the client/patient in educating them about services, or as a tip-sheet for health care professionals during consultation with their client/patient.
Although intended for mental health professionals, this fact sheet could equally provide guidance to other more general health professionals, when interacting with patients who have mental health concerns.
Some types of mental health services included in the fact sheet:
- Acute or crisis response teams;
- Inpatient or hospital care;
- Rehabilitation;
- Child and adolescent psychiatry;
- Aged psychiatry;
- Non-government community-based support; etc.
This fact sheet is sourced from Ausmed Publications' textbook: 'Caring for People with Problem Behaviours', by Bernadette Keane & Carolyn Dixon, (1999).
Author: Bernadette Keane
Bernadette Keane is a highly experienced nurse educator who lectured for nine years in the psychiatric nursing programs conducted at Royal Park Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. In addition to psychiatry her clinical background and qualifications include medical, surgical, midwifery and infant welfare areas of care. In 1982, as a Kellogg Nursing Fellow, she studied at the University of California, San Francisco. Since then she has published journal articles and textbook chapters on health care and professional issues.
In 1986 Bernadette launched her private practice, called Continuing Education Consultation, and from 1992 to 1998 she was president of the association called Nurses in Independent Practice. In 1992, together with Rhonda Goodwin and Jennifer Richmond, Bernadette published a nursing history book entitled Mum and Me and T.L.C.
Author: Carolyn Dixon
Carolyn Dixon was, from 1995 to early 1999, the psychiatric clinical nurse consultant in the emergency department of St Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. Her work there began as a project to study the effectiveness of this innovative role. Carolyn is a trained psychiatric and general nurse who has worked in hospital, education and community settings both in Australia and overseas. It was while she was working as a nurse teacher at Royal Park Hospital in Melbourne that she first worked with Bernadette Keane.
Carolyn has presented a number of conference papers on aspects of psychiatric care. Her qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts (Social Science), a Graduate Diploma in Health Education and a Master of Nursing.
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