Reflection on Mental Health

Introduction

Reflection is an essential tool in the field of medicine that every practitioner ought to embrace. In this paper I will categorically discuss how my reflection of an encounter with a lady aged twenty five years experiencing depression as a consequent of a series of relationship break ups during my clinical practicum has helped me hone further my experience in the field of medicine. In this particular situation, I will use Gibbs Reflective Cycle to help me deduce the lessons I learnt from this encounter.

It do believe that by sharing my encounter with others may also help them in their practice.

Importance of Reflection

Reflection helps medical practitioners identify mistakes the committed in the past and avoid committing them again in course of their profession. (Royal College of Nursing, 2012)

Description

A lady aged twenty five years visited me in a clinic I was about three months ago. She was quite depressed and had come to seek professional advice regarding the she situation she was currently in.

our discussion transpired in a consultation room whose occupants were only my client and I hence she was very open about her private matters given that the environment guaranteed high level of confidentiality. She was very pessimistic that if the trend of her prevailing experiences continued, she might end up being single as she firmly asserted that all men held a grudge against her whose cause was yet unknown to her. She traced the onset of her problems to when she accidentally conceived and her boyfriend advised her to secure an abortion as they were not financially stable to bring up a baby.

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Moreover, she argued that as at then, that was the best move as the pregnancy could have interfered with her education. However, their relationship took a new turn when the fetus died while in the womb and secured a caesarean section in order to remove it. Her then boyfriend deserted her. From then onwards whenever she discloses these news to anyone courting her, he usually ends up deserting hence it has become a trend to her.

Feeling

As I listened to my client narrating her previous experiences to me, I exhibited various emotions. To begin with, I sympathized with her since series of encounters of rejections by potential marriage partner is not something that is very easy to accept. It also posed potential negative impacts on her general health and also her life as well. I empathized with her since I thought that if she continued to contemplate on the matter she might eventually resolve to committing suicide. The fact that she had secured abortion through dubious means and as a consequent the fetus died while still in the womb, to me meant that her reproductive system might have been adversely affected and possibly she might not be able to conceive in future; a thought that made me feel sorry for her. I almost sobbed before my client but I tried my level best to avoid the occurrence.

Evaluation

This experience had both negative and positive bearing on the advancement of my profession. It was my first encounter to deal with a young client experiencing psychological turbulence attributed to love affairs hence it left an indelible hallmark in my practice that I could always look back into in the future. It was a great achievement to me for having lead a patient to open up on confidential matters that most of patients I have encountered are always reluctant to disclose. I, however, regret having taken so little time to discuss a serious matter. Our discussion only ensued for a period of fifteen minutes which I think it gave my client an impression that I was resenting her just like other people. I admit having committed a serious flaw in the course of the discussion because I did not ask my client whether she was contemplating suicide.

Analysis

To me it was a good gesture my client to seek professional advice when she could as well continue suffering in solitude. Many people do think that these experiences a normal in life but I am elated that this particular client defied norms. I am convinced beyond reasonable doubt that my client held back nothing because she could clearly read my expressions written all over my face and those expressed by use of gestures that clearly signaled to her that I very well understood the situation she was in at that moment (Randall & Hill, 2012). Had I not sympathize with her, I think she have just said little about herself?

Conclusion

Should I find myself in a similar situation in future, I am confident that I will tackle the matter in a more professional and efficient manner as opposed to this incident. I think that I should have spent relatively longer period with my client in order to give her a positive impression that would have disapproved her thoughts about herself. I should also have referred her to gynecologist who would have examined her reproductive system and given her a reliable report. I would also have referred my client to a professional counselor who would have helped her to build a positive view of herself. To know that she is a complete being that does not need approval of others to know that they are invaluable.

Action Plan

My action plan would constitute numerous things. I will begin by changing the outlook of the room where consultations regarding young people do take place in. I would ensure that the room has well displayed graphical tools that create awareness about prevalent mental illness that the young population suffer from. The information displayed on the walls of the consultation room would in include various mental illness, their cause and possible preventive measures. In future I will make a voluntary effort to restraint myself from judging my clients. I would also work on making my clients to know that matters pertaining their medication are private and are never disclosed to any third party. To effect this I may lock the consultation room when the consultations are in progress. The action plan would further constitute working on acquisition of new ideas parting young population more so, on the relationship matters. I will also ensure that I am not too emotional as this can discourage my clients from freely expressing themselves making it difficult to diagnose their problem and even giving the best prescriptions.

In conclusion, the application of Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle in my practice has helped me in many ways. By reflecting on what I encountered in the past, I am able to evaluate myself; whether what I did was the best thing I could have done and also identify where I erred, assess other people’s perception of the manner in which I conducted myself at that moment. In so doing, I work on rectifying the errors I committed in the past, continue embracing the good deeds of the past and also integrate my past experiences with the current knowledge with sole purpose of improving quality of healthcare offered to my clients

References

1. Ghaye, T. & Lillyman, S., 2014. Reflection: Principles and practices for healthcare professionals 2nd edition (Vol. 1). Andrews UK Limited.
2. Hoatson-Jones, L., 2016. Reflective practice in nursing. Learning Matters.
3. Randall, D. and Hill, A., 2012. Consulting children and young people on what makes a good nurse. Nursing Children and Young People, 24(3), pp. 14.
4. Royal College of Nursing, 2012. An exploration of the challenges of maintaining basic human rights in practice. London: Royal College of Nursing.
5. Thompson, N. and Pascal, J., 2012. Developing critically reflective practice. Reflective practice, 13(2), pp.311-325.