This course includes mental health nursing principles, concepts of mental health psychopathology, and treatment modalities related to the nursing care of clients/families. Building on the foundation of previous nursing courses and the nursing process, concepts of biological-behavioral modalities in psychiatric nursing care will be addressed. The clinical experience of the course provides opportunities with in-patient acute and chronic mental health concerns across the life span. Using the nursing process, opportunities are provided for the student to provide care to culturally diverse individuals with emphasis on stressors that may interrupt the physiological and psychosocial integrity of individuals and families. Prerequisite: Satisfactory completion of the first two semesters of the Associate in Applied Science Registered Nursing curriculum with a minimum of a "C" in each course that applies to the nursing curriculum. Corequisites: NURS 201, NURS 202 and NURS 203. (F)