Mental health needs assessment of off-reservation American Indian people in northern Arizona.

Abstract

Native Americans For Community Action, Inc. (NACA) implemented a community-wide mental health needs assessment in Northern Arizona using bilingual interviewers recruited from the local community. A total of 235 people: 156 adults, 28 adolescents, and parents of 51 children were interviewed. File data from the NACA Family Health Center was also analyzed. Thirty-eight percent (38%) of adults reported problems with depression, 27% reported completed or attempted suicide among family members, 31% had problems with drugs or alcohol, and 25% reported problems with physical abuse. Sixty-five percent (65%) of those surveyed never sought professional help. A majority of respondents said that mental health services were needed in their community.