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Exercise Analysis

Decent Essays

Section 1: Description of Practice
Exercise is physical activity that is planned, structured, and repetitive for the purpose of conditioning any part of the body and is used to improve physical health, enhance emotional well-being and maintain fitness (Exercise Definition, 2014). For this assignment, I will explore the mental and physical health benefits of exercise therapy and the potential it has in treating mental illness. Despite the benefits, it remains a neglected intervention amongst mental health professionals. Physical activity is not only beneficial to the physical health, but also the mental health. Persons with mental illness are at greater risk for developing metabolic conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol …show more content…

There is one staff psychiatrist, one chief resident psychiatrist, and a nurse practitioner (NP) who oversees the daily care of patients and makes adjustments to medications as needed. My role on the unit is to work with the NP. We round daily on assigned patients, address any concerns with patients and staff, order and monitor labs or other tests as needed, make necessary medication adjustments, attend morning nursing report, as well as a collaborative staff meeting to discuss every patient on the team with all disciplines (MD, social worker/case manager, OT, nurse, pharmacist, students/residents from all disciplines). There are two registered nurses (RN), a charge nurse, and two support staff assistants everyday on the unit. The nurses administer daily medications, perform assessments, obtain blood specimens, etc. The staff assistants obtain daily vital signs, provide meal trays and snacks throughout the day, assist with ADL’s as needed, and any other patient support that is required. There is also an occupational therapist (OT) and social worker who see patients daily. The social worker/case manager communicates with family, legal, etc and arranges discharge placement (if going to a facility, group home, shelter, etc) and OT’s focus is on activities of daily living. The facility where I attend clinical offers a 20 minute daily exercise group to patients on the inpatient unit. This …show more content…

In the United States, insurance and government funded programs will pay for disease treatment and physical illness interventions, but these same programs typically will not pay for lower cost interventions that might prevent the onset of mental illness, such as exercise therapy. Another reason for being a neglected treatment option is that exercise is rarely acknowledged as an effective treatment intervention due to the lack of knowledge the role of exercise plays in mental health treatment (Jewell, 2010). We also need to teach patients how to exercise. It’s important to build up stamina, encourage them to start out slow to prevent over exacerbation, so they aren’t quick to give up. It’s something that takes time, just like anything else and can even use medication as an example. We never start out with the maximum dose of medication, always start low/slow and work your way up. Other considerations for teaching are proper shoes and good hydration. Lack of motivation is a potential barrier on the patient’s part, which is why assessing the level of motivation is necessary and using motivational interviewing techniques may be

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