Introduction

This is the second edition of the Nursing: Mental Health & Community Concepts OER textbook that has been developed specifically for prelicensure nursing students. Content is based on the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) statewide nursing curriculum for the Nursing Mental Health & Community Concepts course (543-114), the 2023 NCLEX-RN Test Plan,^[1] the American Psychiatric Nurses Association Education Council’s Crosswalk Toolkit: Defining and Using Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Skills in Undergraduate Nursing Education,^[2] and the Wisconsin Nurse Practice Act.^[3]

This book discusses mental health and community health concepts while emphasizing stress management techniques, healthy coping strategies, referrals to community resources, and other preventative interventions. Nursing care for individuals with specific mental health and substance use disorders is examined, and the nurse’s role in community health needs assessments and caring for vulnerable populations is introduced. 

Overall updates to the second edition were made based on feedback received from a WTCS faculty workgroup and include the following:

• Learning objectives were updated based on revised WTCS state curriculum.
• Content, including DSM-5 criteria and definitions, was updated with content from DSM-5-TR.
• Content based on the ANA Code of Ethics was updated to reflect the 2025 edition.
• Hyperlinks to supplementary information were updated.
• Nursing process sections were standardized across all chapters based on content originally included in Chapter 4 (“Application of the Nursing Process to Mental Health Care”). The NCSBN Clinical Judgment Measurement Model steps were included in parentheses next to the steps of the nursing process (e.g., Recognize Cues, Analyze Cues, Generate Solutions, Take Action, and Evaluate Outcomes). The “Assessment” sections were standardized and include Mental Status Examination, Psychosocial Assessment, a sample PQRSTU assessment with client responses for assessing the reason they are seeking health care, Suicide and Self-Injury Screening, Cultural Assessment, Spiritual Assessment with sample client responses, and Life Span Considerations. The “Implementation” sections include tables summarizing nursing interventions based on categories of the APNA Implementation Standard and common physiological concerns. Communication tips were also included with rationale.
• New Next Generation-style case studies were added to every chapter to help students develop clinical judgment and prepare for the NCLEX.
• Several supplementary YouTube videos were added to enhance student comprehension of the content.

Here is a document summarizing the updates made to the second edition.

This e book is free with CC BY 4.0 licensing and can be viewed online or downloaded in multiple formats for offline use. It is part of the Open RN^© Nursing OER textbook series, originally funded by a $2.5 million Open Textbook Pilot grant from the Department of Education with continued funding by WisTech Open. This book was written by subject matter experts and is based on reliable scholarly research and evidence. Read about other Open RN open educational resources available on the WisTech Open website.

The following YouTube video provides a quick overview of how to navigate the online version.