Knowledge and practice in mental health nursing care

Area of Science:

• Psychoanalysis
• Mental Health Nursing
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• The concept of the unconscious, particularly as proposed by Lacan, offers a unique lens for understanding mental health nursing care.
• Traditional approaches may overlook the subjective experience of the patient within the therapeutic relationship.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate mental health nursing care through the framework of Lacan's concept of the unconscious subject.
• To explore how psychoanalytic theory can inform and enhance nursing practice in mental health settings.

Main Methods:

• A narrative study design was employed.
• Nineteen nurses were recruited using snowball sampling based on theoretical approach or referrals.
• Interviews were conducted in person or digitally, recorded, and transcribed.

Main Results:

• Analysis, grounded in Freudian and Lacanian psychoanalysis, examined nursing care actions concerning the body, secretions, and excretions.
• The study distinguished nursing care from mere "spirit of fineness."
• Consideration of the unconscious subject's knowledge revealed unique coping mechanisms (sinthome), requiring professionals to relinquish a position of knowing what is best for the patient.

Conclusions:

• This psychoanalytically informed perspective highlights the centrality of the subject and language in the nursing care process.
• It challenges practitioners to recognize the unique ways patients construct their reality and coping strategies.
• The findings underscore the importance of the nurse's stance in acknowledging the patient's subjective truth.