Cultural background of a person can impact their mental health] either negatively or positively. Culture in the sense of cultural practices, cultural beliefs, and the person’s behavior in the social environment can also influence their chances of developing mental illness. Mr. Kent is a divorced 55-year-old man who resides alone in an apartment. He is a middle-class income earner and has worked as a teacher for 30 years. Currently, he is approaching retirement. His employer referred the man to the mental health facility for mental status review due to his isolated behavior following a divorce with his wife. Thus, it is important to perform a comprehensive cultural assessment of a patient to influence treatment approaches while ensuring health promoting behavior with adherence to their culture as in custom writing https://essay-edge.net/custom-coursework-writing

Assessing patient’s culture includes defining their race, religion, health beliefs regarding mental illness, the customary practices, and social behavior of the person. Mr. Kent is an African-American Christian. He states that he does not believe in the existence of mental illnesses and regards anybody experiencing them as being possessed by evil spirits. Mr. Kent believes that taking psychiatric medications is controversial. These are the concerns that a healthcare professional should address to effectively manage the individual’s health complaints. The patient smokes half a packet of cigarettes every day, eats a balanced diet, and consumes sufficient amount of water. However, he has been drinking excessively since his divorce, and it has significantly affected his social interaction. Mr. Kent does not believe that chronic alcohol consumption or chronic smoking can be a cause of mental illness. This health belief is also of concern since excessive alcohol intake can result in the development of mental disorders. Thus, the medical professional should consider these aspects while establishing his diagnosis and preparing his plan of care.

Mr. Kent has an increased probability of developing depression. Excessive alcohol intake can cause depression in that it lowers the serotonin levels in the brain, a hormone that regulates one’s mood. Another diagnosis that Mr. Kent is at risk of acquiring is an anxiety disorder. The mechanism of development of this disorder presupposes interference with the neurotransmitters in the brain. Mr. Kent is also at risk of developing alcohol-related dementia. Obviously, long-term brain damage as a result of excessive alcohol intake can result in this condition. Cultural diagnosis is simply linking person’s cultural behavior that puts them at risk of mental illness. Alcohol depresses the secretion of brain neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and serotonin, which play a key role in the excitation and prevention of depressive-like episodes. However, Mr. Kent does not believe that his drinking habit can result in mental illness since he also regards mental disorders as evil spirits. Accordingly, it is advisable to educate him on the relationship between his behavior and the existence of mental illnesses as an integral part of the cultural diagnosis.

The patient’s plan of care will require that a multidisciplinary team meets his cultural and emotional needs. The team will involve a psychiatrist, a nurse, a nurse educator, a spiritual leader, and a counseling expert. Through the application of the nursing process, the primary nurse will outline the process of care of the patient while compiling a comprehensive history and physical assessment prior to admission. The psychiatrist should, therefore, examine the patient as well as conduct a mental health status examination which will be important in diagnosing the cultural health impact on Mr. Kent. The nurse educator will educate the man on the existence of mental illnesses and their relationship with unhealthy lifestyle habits, such as excessive alcohol consumption. Subsequently, this important intervention aims to change the health promoting behavior of the patient. Additionally, the spiritual leader, who is part of the team, will provide spiritual guidance. Mr. Kent started indulging in alcohol abuse after his divorce, and, thus, a counselor will be beneficial in educating the patient on how to cope with his situation and how to control his emotional trauma. However, Mr. Kent views the use of psychiatric medications as controversial, and, hence, his management will involve behavioral therapy.

Implementation of the plan of care assumes that each member of the multidisciplinary team plays their role in fulfilling the patient’s needs. The first intervention is the provision of care while adhering to the basic principles and believes of the patient. Mr. Kent does not believe in the existence of mental illnesses, and, thus, sufficient education will give him an insight into the genuine nature of his disorder and increase his cooperation in the treatment process. Furthermore, the team will apply behavioral therapy to help him change his lifestyle and develop a positive thinking. The patient may also receive visits from family members and church members who would wish to support and pray with him in the hospital. Guidance and counseling as well as nursing education will raise the patient’s awareness about the negative impact of alcohol consumption on mental health.

Evaluation of the success of the interventions entails assessing the patient’s and the patient’s family level of satisfaction with the process of treatment. Patient satisfaction is an important area of measuring the quality of mental care that the patient received. High levels of complaints and dissatisfaction are indicative of a low quality of services as observed by the patient. Another method of evaluation of the effectiveness of the approach is the nursing outcomes and the progress of the patient. At the end of the treatment process, the patient should display insight into the negative health impact of excessive alcohol consumption along with reduced drinking problems.

In conclusion, it is important to provide the patient with the environment conducive to various cultural practices so as to encourage cooperation and reduction of risks connected with the patient’s bad habits. Mr. Kent demonstrated lack of education on the existence of mental illnesses. It is possible to meet this challenge by providing the patient with education regarding the correlation between mental illnesses and the impact certain health behaviors have on them. Counseling should help Mr. Kent accept his divorce and manage his emotional trauma which will lead to the cessation of chronic alcohol consumption. In future, it would be beneficial for the patient’s family to be involved in the health education concerning the effects of drug alcohol and abuse on mental health. Consequently, it will encourage the family to adopt health promotion practices.