Now in its 7th edition, this well-established title has been updated and revised to reflect the latest research in the field of mental health nursing. A team of authors from a range of higher education institutions has revised the text to ensure the book remains relevant to the current realities of nursing mental health care users in South Africa. The text takes the curricula of mental health nursing into account to ensure it is suitable for the new nursing programme. Rich in evidence-based practice and case studies, the book incorporates the diagnostic criteria from the DSM-5 ™ with accompanying explanatory text.

New to the 7th edition:

• DSM-5 ™ diagnostic criteria retained with updated accompanying text
• Updated research added throughout
• Completely new chapter 6, ‘Legal structures in mental health care nursing’, that outlines the broader legal context within which mental health nurses practise and discusses the rights a mental health care user is entitled to in terms of the Mental Health Care Act
• Rewritten chapter 8, ‘Working with cultural diversity in mental health care’, that focuses on diversity, culture and cultural competence
• Rewritten chapter on personality disorder (chapter 18) that helps the reader acquire an understanding of the common characteristics and difficulties that people diagnosed with a personality disorder experience and uses a psychodynamic and transactional analysis model to understand these characteristics and difficulties and to help direct treatment.
• Extensive list of web resources at the end of each chapter retained and updated