| Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools. |
Mental Health Needs Assessment in Australias Culturally Diverse SocietyAustralian Centre for International and Tropical Health and, Nutrition, University of Queensland, Australia
Queensland Transcultural Mental Health Centre, Queensland Health, Australia
Australian Centre for International and Tropical Health and, Nutrition, University of Queensland, Australia Despite widespread political support for recognizing and addressing the special mental health needs of culturally and linguistically distinct communities, relatively little has been documented about the specific needs of these groups. State government units, community organizations and services tasked with implementing broad policies have very little information on which to formulate strategies. A review of the literature on needs reveals a tension between the top-down definitions of what has been termed thin needs such as evidence of higher rates of mental health problems or lower rates of utilization, and thick needs as felt by consumers and carers as they face specific problems. Both perspectives are necessary to develop effective and acceptable transcultural mental health strategies. The remainder of this article describes the framework and application of a methodology for community organisations and services to assess needs from diverse perspectives.
Key Words: needs assessment social need transcultural mental health
Transcultural Psychiatry, Vol. 38, No. 3,
333-347 (2001) |
|||