Running head: RELEVANCE OF PERCEPTION IN PSYCHIATRIC NURSING
Understanding the relevance of perception in psychiatric nursing
Trina Skinner
Stenberg College
1
RELEVANCE OF PERCEPTION IN PSYCHIATRIC NURSING
2
Understanding the relevance of perception in psychiatric nursing
A comprehension of philosophy and the various philosophical considerations that define
the discipline is crucial to the formative process of Psychiatric nurse’s development of the ability
to respect and conceptualize the perceptions of others. This paper will attempt to illustrate the
importance of a deeper understanding of the concepts of illusions and hallucinations as they
apply to psychiatric nursing care. “Sometimes what we call the perception (hallucination or
illusion) depends on how we choose to classify it” (Hospers, 1997, p. 76)
Illusions can be defined as “a false interpretation of an external sensory stimulus, usually
visual or auditory, such as a mirage in the desert or voices on the wind” (Anderson & Anderson,
1990, p. 452). Hospers (1997), states that an image or material object may appear illusory,
however, such as in the case of mountains that appear blue from a distance, if one concludes that
this is indeed an illusion, therefore rejecting the notion that the mountains are in fact blue/gray (a
fact which we can prove upon closer inspection) then one eludes the risk of developing and
maintaining a delusion. “Even when we know the true nature of an illusion, this insight often
does not change our experience. As far as the brain is concerned, if an event is an illusion, it
might as well be real” (Hood, 2012). This is an interesting notion to consider in the context of
psychiatric nursing. If one’s brain perceives something as real how can one refute the testimony
of another? Can I as a psychiatric nurse conclude that a client is indeed experiencing an illusion
based on his or her mental health history, asserting that my perception is accurate and theirs is
not? This may be perceived as a form of discrimination or an example of the hierarchical model
our healthcare system is founded on, which is arguably insufficient for treating mentally ill
individuals due to a lack of implementation of holistic healthcare practice. According to Hood
(2012) It is not groundbreaking news that the human brain manifests a version of the world that
RELEVANCE OF PERCEPTION IN PSYCHIATRIC NURSING
3
most people assume is generally accurate. On the contrary, there are many circumstances in
which our brain deceives us. Visual illusions are a strong example of the brains ability to
incorrectly process stimuli. The human brain has been known to develop assumptions about our
external world which can grossly distort our perception. “Recent work has revealed neural
activity in the brain underlying -- or corresponding to -- several types of illusory perceptions.
Instead of simply seeing what is there, these findings suggest we are perpetually re-creating the
world around us using the Matrix inside our head” (Hood, 2012).
Comparatively a hallucination is defined as “a sensory perception that does not result
from an external stimulus. It can occur in any if the senses and is classified accordingly as
auditory, gustatory, olfactory, tactile, or visual” (Anderson & Anderson, 1990, p. 452). Hospers
(1997), poses the question, “Why do we say that certain perceptions are illusory or hallucinatory
and that others are correct, or as we say, veridical?” (p. 77). No individual is immune to the
experience of invalid sensory perception, for example if we are struck on the head with enough
force we may see spots, is this a hallucination? If so how do we distinguish, the experience is
real? The person does indeed visualize the red dots, but will often label such an experience
hallucinatory in nature. Why? Because “There are certain standard conditions that we use to
describe a thing’s qualities, and we say it has those qualities that it appears to have under these
standard conditions” (Hospers, 1997, p. 77). There is great danger in basing our reality on such
‘standard conditions’. One’s perception is subjective, and too often a person diagnosed with a
mental illness in which hallucinations are a significant factor in the disease process are
stigmatized and viewed in all aspects through the lens of their diagnosis, therefore any
observation made on the part of a client living with mental illness is more prone to having his or
her experiences labeled illusory or hallucinatory as a result of said diagnoses, as opposed to that
RELEVANCE OF PERCEPTION IN PSYCHIATRIC NURSING
4
of a person considered psychologically healthy, even in the event the two people experience
similar sensory experiences whether accurate or not. Who has the power to decipher whether this
person’s sensory perception is flawed as we have only our own ‘standard conditions’ to rely on?
In conclusion, a professional employed within the discipline of psychiatric nursing should
have at the very least a basic understanding of philosophy in order to avoid becoming
entrenched in societies tendency overzealous attempts to analyze and categorize everything in
simplified ‘black and white’ terms. Western society thrives on this type of linear thinking. In
psychiatry as mirrored in philosophy, and life in general for that matter; there are no strict terms,
no room for rigidity, many questions are posed which yield few, if any concrete answers. Both
disciplines are founded on a basis of subjectivity for the most part. What may be today does not
dictate what will be tomorrow! “Of course, to suppose that so-called objective truth claims,
themselves, subject to human interpretation and revision, are superior to other forms of truth,
including religious truths, demonstrates not so much insight but hubris” (Deane-Drummond,
2007, p. 587).
Philosophy demands open-mindedness, critical thinking, and the ability to view a
situation from all conceivable angles. The same abilities apply to psychiatry in order for the
psychiatric nurse to provide effective and competent care. The ability to address and respect
other’s perceptions and gaining an understanding of the nature of illusions and hallucinations, the
psychiatric nurse can arm his/herself with an arsenal of skills and knowledge drawing from both
psychiatry and philosophy. Incorporating elements of both disciplines and viewing the
relationship between the two as symbiotic will have a profound effect on the nurse’s ability to
provide the highest quality care possible.
RELEVANCE OF PERCEPTION IN PSYCHIATRIC NURSING
5
References
Anderson, K. N., & Anderson, L. E. (1990). Mosby’s pocket dictionary of medicine, nursing, &
allied health. St. Louis, MO: The C.V. Mosby company.
Deane-Drummond, C. (2007). Experiencing wonder and seeking wisdom. Zygon; journal of
religion and science, 42(3), 587-590. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j1467-9744.2007.00851.x
Hood, B. (2012). RE-CREATING THE REAL WORLD. Scientific American Mind, 43-45.
Hospers, J. (1997). An introduction to Philosophical analysis (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Prentice hall.