People are often labelled with a diagnosed condition based on a group of accepted symptoms. In mental health care, however, nurses are now questioning whether this remains the right approach. Mary Munro, the author of this month’s lead clinical article, warns that, for some, receiving a mental health diagnosis can be challenging, disempowering and stigmatising. She suggests nurses need to look past a diagnosis to see the whole person. Such a shift is similar to the patient-focused approach pioneered last century by Professor Annie Altschul. She is profiled in the latest issue of Nursing Times, the theme of which is mental health care. There are also clinical articles looking at the social determinants of mental health and describing innovations like a new secure messaging service for young people. In addition, there is an analysis of the state of mental health services in the UK and interviews with those trying to raise the profile, nationally, of nurse consultants working in the sector. Meanwhile, read what mental health nurses think in our opinion section and catch up on your views about the fuel crisis.
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