SKELLERN LECTURE, Professor Karina Lovell - What has mental health nursing contributed to Primary Care Mental Health? 

Introduced by Patrick Callaghan

Lecture Synopsis: Mental health is a worldwide concern; no other health condition matches mental illness in the combined extent of prevalence, persistence and breadth of impact.  

Mental health nursing has predominantly been rooted in secondary care settings and it is only relatively recently that mental health nursing practice, education, and research has focused on common mental health problems.  Depression and anxiety lead to significant social, personal and economic costs to both the individual and society. Depression is set to become the 2nd largest cause of disease burden by 2020. In the UK the total economic burden associated with depression and anxiety in terms of lost productivity is around £17 billion or 1.5% of the gross domestic product each year.  More recently the notably poorer outcomes of people with long term conditions (diabetes, coronary heart disease ) with coexisting depression has led to the development of psychological interventions which attempt to overcome the mind/body dualism that is so apparent in the way services are delivered. In addition to this there has been a national drive to increase access to psychological therapies in the UK thorough IAPT. Mental health nurses have been at the forefront of developing brief psychological interventions using innovative delivery modes for depression and anxiety in primary care mental health including guided self help and telephone delivered CBT.  

 

The lecture focused on telephone delivered CBT (TCBT), the development and leadership the field in the UK in delivering psychological interventions by telephone. The telephone has the ability to overcome many of the social, physical and economic barriers which prevent access to mental health services, and is increasingly being used as a means to support treatment delivery. Professor Lovell reported on the systematic reviews, qualitative work and a number of trials evaluating telephone delivered CBT with both mental health specific disorders and long term conditions with and without depression. The rationale for TCBT, current research, application and implementation into current practice was discussed.

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JPMHN LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, Professor Shirley Smoyak 

Introduced by Peter Nolan

Shirley A. Smoyak ( RN, PhD, FAAN) is a nurse and academic who has had a significant impact on the field of psychiatric nursing. Editor, the Journal of Psychosocial Nursing & Mental Health Services. After earning bachelor's and master's degrees in nursing and a doctorate in sociology, Smoyak became a faculty member at Rutgers University. She has taught courses both in nursing and in the social sciences.

She has been the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services since 1981. Smoyak was appointed to oversee reform efforts at Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in New Jersey.[1] Some of her most recent research examines the effects of energy drinks on college students. Smoyak received the 2011 Award for Distinguished Service from the American Psychiatric Nurses Association.She was designated a Living Legend of the American Academy of Nursing in 2004.