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World J Psychiatry. Sep 19, 2025; 15(9): 107720
Published online Sep 19, 2025. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i9.107720
Nurse-led treatment engagement interventions for persons with severe mental illnesses in community settings
Revathi Somanathan, Sailaxmi Gandhi, T Sivakumar, Narayana Manjunatha
Revathi Somanathan, Mental Health Nursing, Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, Bangalore 560054, Karnataka, India
Sailaxmi Gandhi, Department of Nursing, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bangalore 560029, Karnataka, India
T Sivakumar, Narayana Manjunatha, Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bangalore 560029, Karnataka, India
Author contributions: Somanathan R designed, conceptualized, reviewed the literature extensively and wrote the report; Gandhi S, Sivakumar T and Manjunatha N were involved in the conceptualization, intellectual contribution and revising of the report.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Revathi Somanathan, PhD, Assistant Professor, Mental Health Nursing, Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, MSR Nagar, Bangalore 560054, Karnataka, India. revathi.somanathan@gmail.com
Received: April 1, 2025
Revised: May 1, 2025
Accepted: July 21, 2025
Published online: September 19, 2025
Processing time: 151 Days and 2 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: Treatment engagement is a continuous, collaborative and dynamic process. Due to the multifactorial nature of non-adherence, need-based client-centered care would help reduce the treatment gap and improve their quality of life. Engagement can be improved by having a relationship of trust, empathy and non-judgmentality. Internationally, shared decision-making, peer support, family involvement and other psychosocial strategies have shown to improve engagement. Nurses, in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team, are capable of long-term engagement through psychoeducation, motivational interviewing and home visits. A tailored approach to engaging the clients through a strong therapeutic alliance is important for enhancing treatment outcomes and active participation.