Mental Health Team/
Multidisciplinary Team
Introduction
• Team work – the combined, coordinated
and dedicated effort of each and every
member of the team towards achievement
of the vested interest, target or goal of the
team as an entity.
• It is more significant in mental health settings
where the contribution of all the members is
extremely vital for ....
* Assessment
* Diagnosis
* Treatment
* Rehabilitation ( in patient and community
based) of the mentally ill patient.
Definitions
Multidisciplinary team is a team with
members of different disciplines, providing
specific services to the patient.
• Holistic patient approach
• Multidisciplinary team concept is a hall
mark of mental health.
• Managing resources
• Balancing the costs
• Decision making over the outcomes
• Participatory problem solving
• Ensuring professional standards
• Conflict resolution
• Encouraging communication
Functions
Members of the team
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A psychiatrist
A psychiatric nurse
A clinical psychologist
A psychiatric social worker
An occupational therapist or an activity therapist
A pharmacist
A dietician
A councellor
Psychiatrist
• The psychiatrist is a doctor with post- graduation
in Psychiatry with 2-3 years of residence
training.
Psychiatrist
• Diagnosis of mental disorders and prescription of
medical treatment
• Admitting patients into acute care settings
• Prescribing and monitoring psychopharmacologic
agents
• Administering ECT
• Legal power to prescribe and to write orders
Psychiatric Nurse Clinical Specialist
• Should have a Masters Degree in nursing.
• Participates actively in prevention (primary,
secondary and tertiary) of mental disorders and
provides individual, group and family
psychotherapy in a hospital and community
setting.
• She also takes up the responsibility of
teaching, administration and research, besides
publishing work in a mental health setting.
• She takes up the role of a leader and can
practise independently.
Registered Nurse in a Psychiatric Unit
(Psychiatric nurse)
• The Registered Nurse undergoes a General
Nursing and Midwifery Program or B.Sc.
Nursing /Post-basic B.Sc. Nursing program
with added qualifications such as- Diploma in
Psychiatric Nursing, Diploma in Nursing
Administration etc.
Role of Registered nurse
• Psychosocial nursing care of patients
• Administering and monitoring medications
• Assisting in psychiatric and physical treatments
• Participate in interdisciplinary team meetings
• Teach patients and family
Contd…..
• Responsibility for the patients’ record
• Act as patient advocate
• Interact with patients significant others
• Making nursing diagnosis, formulating,
evaluating, and rendering the appropriate
nursing care. ( holistic approach)
A clinical
psychologist
• The clinical psychologist holds a doctoral degree
in clinical psychology and is registered with the
clinical Psychologists' Association.
• She/he conducts psychological, diagnostic tests,
interprets and evaluates the finding of these
tests and implements a program of behaviour
modification.
A psychiatric social
worker
The Psychiatric Social Worker is a
graduate in social work and a postgraduate in psychiatric social work.
• Family care work and community placements of
patients
• Group therapy sessions
• Intervention with the patient in social
environment in which he will alive
Psychiatric Para-Professionals
i)Psychiatric Nursing Aids
• They have high school training and are trained
on the job.
• They aid in maintaining the therapeutic
environment and provide care under
supervision.
ii) ECT Technicians
• They undergo training for 6-9 months. Their
function is to keep ready the ECT machine and
other articles and give ECT under the
supervision of a psychiatrist or anaesthetist.
iii) Auxiliary Personnel: They are volunteer
housekeepers or clerical staff and require inservice education to interact with the patient
therapeutically.
iv) Occupational Therapist
• He/she undergoes specialized training, uses
manual and creative techniques to assess the
inter-personal responses of the patient and
assists the patient to become skilled and
independent in the area of their choice.
• Planned occupational therapy is very significant
for the treatment, early recovery and
rehabilitation of the patient. The therapist
focuses on vocational skills and Activities of
Daily Living (ADL) to raise the self-concept of
the patient.
v) Recreational Therapist
• The recreational therapist plans activities to
stimulate the patient's muscle co-ordination,
interpersonal relationship and socialization.
These approaches are need-based.
vi) Diversional Play Therapist
• Makes observation of a child/patient during
play-behaviour, type of toys selected, reaction
to the toy, beating, breaking, throwing, etc.
This is then related to conditions such as
phobia, abuse, separation etc.
vii) Creative Art Therapist
• He/she is an arts graduate and encourages the
patient to express his work freely with colours
and analyses the use of various colours, drawing
of various scenes etc.
• This therapy helps in diagnosis and also in
bringing the repressed feelings of the patient to
the conscious level.
viii) Clergymen
• These are religious persons who may be asked
to come to the hospital unit once a week
(depending on the patient's religious faith) and
have a spiritual talk with the patient.
Counselor
Supportive counseling and assists
in psycho educational and
recreational activities
Role of nurse in
multidisciplinary team
• Facilitate the process of caring.
• Finding and reflecting patients responses
• Co-ordinations of patient care and
collaborating the professionals and
managing group of nursing care providers
• Conflict management
• Overseeing and shaping the therapeutic
milieu