A Self-Perceived Needs Assessment of Individuals with Serious Mental Illness

People living with serious mental illness have unique social and psychological needs untapped by previous needs assessments geared toward service needs and the opinions of service providers, rather than the recipients themselves. While valuable, medication and material assistance are not sufficient to help these individuals achieve satisfactory progress on their recovery journeys. One hundred twenty one public mental health clients were administered a self-report survey of needs across multiple domains. Lifton's concept of formulation (re-establishing one's sense of connectedness, symbolic integrity, and movement to master the experience of mental illness) was explored as a framework for examining these needs. The study's findings indicated a significant inverse relationship between general life satisfaction and overall level of unmet needs. Additionally, several aspects of Lifton's concept of formulation were found to have significant correlations with general life satisfaction and interest in self-help participation. The study's findings indicated that people with serious mental illness are willing and able to share their views of what their needs are, and addressing issues of personal recovery is especially meaningful to this population. Also discussed are the benefits of incorporating the views of clients into assessment, treatment planning, and planning for future interventions.