Nursing Interventions for Supporting Individuals with OCD in Acute Care Settings

This thesis highlights the impact that nursing and collaborative care can have for patients in the acute care setting who have a mental illness, with a specific focus on Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and related disorders. Holistic care for patients admitted into the acute care setting with a comorbidity of OCD includes exploration of nursing interventions and collaborative therapies, namely journaling, mindfulness or meditation, breathing, self-help methods, exercise, massage, acupuncture or electroacupuncture, yoga, and nutrition. Each intervention was evaluated in the context of how a nurse can apply or facilitate the intervention in an acute care setting. Nurses and health professionals are encouraged to utilize these interventions and to be creative in their treatments, taking into consideration all aspects of a patient: mental, physical, and otherwise.