Assessing the needs of the severely mentally ill: cultural and professional differences.

International interest is currently focused on the effectiveness of mental health services in helping the severely mentally ill. An important outcome measure is change in the level of individual need. Little research has been done into how mental health professionals prioritise needs. This question was addressed by undertaking a survey of mental health professionals in cities in India, Australia and England. Similar priorities were found in all survey sites, and across hospital and community staff, though differences were found due to professional background. This suggests that there is some cross-cultural consistency in prioritising needs, but the choice of profession to assess need may influence the way in which needs are assessed.