This course provides nursing students with the essential knowledge and skills in providing nursing care for patients with psychological, emotional, and behavioral disturbances. This course introduces the principles and basic concepts of psychiatric mental health nursing and its applications. In this course the students will be able to recognize different classes of mental disorders across the life span in terms of signs and symptoms, diagnostic criteria, risk factors, etiology, and treatment approaches. The students will also be able to apply therapeutic communication and critical thinking when providing care to patients with mental disorders. Evidence-based teaching strategies and materials are integrated in this course to better address the complexity of the health needs of patients with mental or psychiatric illnesses.