The survey examined whether people who had received services or particular types of help over the previous 12 months felt their needs had been met. For people who did not receive services the survey examined whether there were services or types of help that they felt they needed but had not received.
The types of help people were asked about were:
- information about mental illness, its treatment and available services
- medication
- talking therapy, such as cognitive behaviour therapy, psychotherapy and counselling
- social intervention, such as help to meet people and sort out accommodation or finances and
- skills training to improve the ability to work, self-care or manage time effectively.
There also appeared to be little unmet need in people with mental disorders who did not use services with 85.7% of people reporting that they had no need for any of the types of help asked about in the survey (Table 3-6).
Table 3-5: Perception of met need in people with 12-month mental disorders who used services
Type of help | Needs met (%) |
| Information | 56.6 |
| Medication | 86.7 |
| Talking therapy | 68.2 |
| Social intervention | 31.3 |
| Skills training | 44.0 |
Table 3-6: Perception of need for services in people with 12-month mental disorders who did not use services
Type of help | No need (%) |
| Information | 94.0 |
| Medication | 97.4 |
| Talking therapy | 89.3 |
| Social intervention | 94.1 |
| Skills training | 96.2 |
Any type of help | 85.7 |