\"Reply\" to your colleagues’ postings The short story Mending told a story of a
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Question
"Reply" to your colleagues’ postings
The short story Mending told a story of a young girl battling with the trauma of her past. The young girl in the story suffered dramatic abuse during her childhood that lead her to speak to a health care professional. Throughout the story the main character spoke of her longing to feel loved, touched, and comforted. Sallie Bingham writes “It did not seem possible to go through the rest of my life trying to get warmth from the eyes of construction workers; it did not seem possible to go on spreading my legs for men who took it personally that that part—“down there,” as my mother called it—had no more feeling than the vegetable it so closely resembles: a radish, fancy cut” (Nadelhaft & Bonebakker, 2008, p. 352). The young girl decided she would no longer go out with men and endure the abuse. When the main character chose to receive help from a health care professional, she became obsessed with the attention that he gave to her. Because of her poor relationships in the past, this was all she longed for, and therefore wanted more. The health care professional, regardless of the gifts brought to him, maintained his professional boundaries and continued to care for this traumatized girl. Mental health is an ongoing process that a patient will always need care for. The young girl fell into a serious depressive state. “It did not seem possible to stand under the shower and come out feeling alive and new. It did not seem worthwhile even to try” (Nadelhaft & Bonebakker, 2008, p. 355). As a mental health nurse, this is something I often see from patients. They no longer have any motivation or drive to care for themselves. They lose sight of their lives and the point of living them. Although the main character was receiving help, it took her a long time to be “okay” on her own. At the end of the short story she states “I was still, and always would be, one of the walking wounded; I was an internalized scab, and when I looked at myself in the mirror, I understood why people call naked need the ugliest thing in the world” (Nadelhaft & Bonebakker, 2008, p. 356). In my opinion this statement shows acknowledgment, which is an important part of healing. The main character was able to get to a healthy point in her life where she cared for herself, and no longer “needed” her doctor. She ends the story by stating she broke two appointments with the doctor that she was once obsessed with, and meeting someone new. She states “And that I would live” (Nadelhaft & Bonebakker, 2008, p. 356) as her final sentence of the short story. This impacted my understanding of a person’s ongoing struggle with recovery by further representing the amount of time and dedication it takes to begin the healing process. It allowed me to better understand the perspective of the person in need of treatment.
Explanation / Answer
True
For people with mental health problems, especially suffering from issues such as prolonged grieving or depression, there is a strong requirement that prolonged care is given to such patients, to invoke their natural coping mechanisms. Such patients have lost the coping mechanisms, that normal or average people possess, and it is important for the nurses , who take care of these patients, to give utmost warmth and care to these patients. Restoration of self confidence forms the basis of healing process, as due to constant traumatic experiences, it seems to be lost. In order to restore this self confidence, constant care and warmth has to be given along with attention that makes these people realise their worth. And for any mental health nurse, the understanding that every patient has their own dignity and should be given that respect, allows the patient to heal in a more effective way.
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