ABSTRACT
At the heart of psychiatric-mental health nursing lies the interpersonal relationship between the nurse and a person experiencing some form of distress. Both are part of a web of relationships encompassing family, friends, colleagues, organizations, communities and wider society. All these groups have an interest in and expectations about the nature of the relationship between the nurse and person. Individuals often find themselves in relationships with nurses at a time of extreme powerlessness, distress, vulnerability and estrangement from others, and this is compounded by the stigmatizing effects of being labelled and treated as mentally ill. How the nurse exercises power, behaves in relation to the person, and balances the expectations and wishes of all interested parties have profound ethical implications.
