History of Psychiatric Nursing
- In the 1840s, Florence Nightingale made an attempt to meet the needs of psychiatric patients with proper hygiene, better food, light and ventilation and the use of drugs to chemically restrain violent and aggressive patients. ( (Reddemma K & Nagarajaiah, 2004))
- Linda Richards, the first psychiatric nurse graduated in the United States in 1882 from Boston City College.
- In 1913 Johns Hopkins University was the first college of nursing in the United States to offer psychiatric nursing as part of its general curriculum.
- The first psychiatric nursing textbook,Nursing Mental Diseases was authored by Harriet Bailey, in 1920.
- The registration of psychiatric nurses was done by 1920 in the UK and degree courses in psychiatric nursing began in the USA.
- Psychiatric nursing was included in the basic nursing curriculum by the International Council of Nurses in 1961.
- In 1963, President John F. Kennedy in United States passed the Community Mental Health Act which proposed the deinstitutionalization of mentally ill persons.
History of Psychiatric Nursing
- In fourth century AD, during the period of Emperor Ashoka, hospitals with 15 beds for mentally ill with two male and two female nurses. In1964-65 Psychiatric nursing was included in curriculum. (Reddemma K & Nagarajaiah, 2004)
- For the first time in India, 11 British nurses along with one matron were brought from the UK to work in the mental hospital at Ranchi in the 1930s.
- Short training courses of three to six months were conducted in Ranchi in 1921, which were recognized by the Royal Medical Psychological Association.
- During 1948-50 four nurses were sent to the U.K.by Govt. of India for mental health nursing diploma.
- From 1943, the Chennai Government organised a three months’ psychiatric nursing course (subsequently stopped in 1964), for male nursing students at
the Mental Hospital, Chennai (in lieu of midwifery). - During 1954 Manzil Medical Health centre, Lucknow gave psychiatric nursing orientation course of 4 - 6weeks duration.
- Govt. of India decided to start training psychiatric nurses during 1953-54 and started the first organized course at All India Institute of Mental Health (presently NIMHANS).
- In 1964–1965, the Indian Nursing Council (INC) made it a requirement to integrate psychiatric nursing in the nursing diploma and degree courses.
- In 1967, a separate Psychiatric Nursing Committee was formed in the Trained Nurses Association of India.
- Diploma in Psychiatric Nursing is conducted in three institutions in India.
- Master of Psychiatric Nursing (MPN) programme is conducted in many institutions.
- Doctoral programme in psychiatric nursing (Ph.D.) at NIMHANS, Bangalore.
