Mental health nursing: a global perspective

This paper is based on a presentation by Dr Oguisso to the First Hamburg World Forum on Mental Health, 11 June 1994, for the Standing Committee of Presidents of International Non-Governmental Organizations Concerned with Mental Health Issues. Over recent years, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) has been concerned that health providers are sometimes not adequately prepared to give quality care and that resources are often well below those targeted for other sectors of the health care system. In 1991 the ICN chose 'Mental Health--Nurses in Action' as the theme for International Nurses Day on 12 May. With the help of the ICN-provided educational kits, national nurses' associations updated nurses on the problems and informed the public that nurses as a group can provide many of the mental health services to people and answer their families needs.