Mental Health Needs Assessment of Off-Reservation American Indian People in Northern Arizona

Native American 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, & parents of 51 children were interviewed. File data from the NACA Family Health Centre was also analyzed. 38% of adults reported problems with depression. 27% reported completed or attempted suicide among family members. 31% had problems with drugs or alcohol & 25% reported problems with physical abuse. 65% of those surveyed never sought professional help. A majority said that mental health services were needed in their community. (9 refs)