Nursing care in mental health and psychiatry in the early twentieth century

Abstract

Introduction

Throughout the history of Nursing we also witnessed to the development of the Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing, that, in Portugal, was initiated in asylums, nursing homes and psychiatric hospitals that emerged in the mid- nineteenth century.

Objectives

Describe the Nursing interventions exposed in the book “Manual del Enfermero para Pacientes Nerviosos y Mentales”.

Methods

It is an work that results from an historical research, based on the assumptions that result from documental analysis that is focused on the "Manual del Enfermero para Pacientes Nerviosos y Mentales", edited in 1936, which is a spanish translation of a primary version of german language, published in 1935.

Results

The manual presents three main objectives, that are: bring together indispensable professional notions, draw attention to the difficulties of the profession and to the limits of knowledge, and promote the qualities of character that are necessary to the exercise of Nursing. It is structured into five parts: the first one is directed to the healthy man, the second to the unhealthy, the third to the care of patients, the fourth to mental hygiene and assistance and the last part to the history of mental medicine. The Nursing interventions, such as hydrotherapy, ergotherapy and administration of medication, are based on the evaluation of the person and the surveillance of his behavior, taking into account the respect of the nurse for the sick people, their families and friends, the institution and the remaining nurses.

Conclusions

We conclude that the manual, taking into acount its presentation and the analysis of its content, it was important in the training and in the professional development of nurses that, at the time, worked at Centro Hospitalar Conde Ferreira. Nursing interventions are addressed either to the care of the body and of the mind, and the family was also subject of attention of the nurses.