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Book Review
The A-Z of Community Mental Health Nursing Practice
Sheila Forster (ed)
ISBN: 0-748731-75-X 1997 154 pages Cheltenham: Stanley Thorne (Publishers) Ltd
Nicholas G Procter
Associate Professor, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Division of Health Sciences, University of South Australia, City East Campus, North Terrace, Adelaide SA
Mental health during the 1990s was a time of extraordinary change in many aspects of practice and perhaps above all in the inter-relationships between hospital and community care. The questions and issues that occupy this book were derived in direct reference to these changes and in contemporary community mental health legislation in the United Kingdom. At the center of this book is the intent to provide information on a wide variety of subjects that are applicable to working with people with mental health problems and their families. That is, useful and practical approaches to care, developed through practice, rooted in reality, and revealed by groups of experienced clinicians.
The book contains examples of strategies and ideas for managing complex and challenging behaviours as well as how to assess, relate to, comfort and negotiate situations familiar to anyone working in the field. Although it is not possible to examine all community mental health practice issues (could they ever be known?) in a single text, this book represents an important beginning of discussion and direction for readers.
The book is organised into topics indexed in alphabetical order. The book is very readable, well organised and presented. It is tightly written with occasional gems of practical insight. The sections of goal setting and information technology are particularly useful. The book could be strengthened by additional sections on therapeutic relationships, teamwork, and issues of cultural diversity in practice. In future editions of this book it may also be a good idea to re-orientate its entire contents with a consumer-driven focus as well as stronger links being made between research evidence and practice issues.
While I agree with the editors note of this book being a 'dip-into' reference for professionals with varying levels of skills and knowledge, some experienced clinicians might be seeking more advanced and higher-level insights than those put forward. Not withstanding, I believe the book will be a useful secondary text for nurses undertaking courses in community mental health and it may well be appropriate for undergraduate students and registered nurses in community settings who do not primarily work with the mentally ill.
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