New Zealand Journal of Psychology, 2002, 31(2): 98-103

The data reported in this study was gathered from the author's master's thesis entitled "From paternalism to participation: Consumers' views and experiences of the initial assessment process in mental health" (1998). The paucity of literature on consumers' views and experiences concerning how mental health professionals deal with abuse issues was a motivating factor which drove the present study. The study reported on the perceptions of 74 members of mental health consumer groups in New Zealand about their first assessment. Questionnaires were completed that asked about sexual, physical or emotional abuse at some point in the participants' lives. Seventeen of the 74 questionnaire respondents also volunteered to be interviewed. Two-thirds of the participants reported sexual, physical or emotional abuse at some point in their lives, but only 20% had been asked about abuse on assessment. However, the more recent the assessment, the more likely the question of being abused was raised by the professional. The majority (69%) of those who reported abuse believed that there was a relationship between having been abused and their mental health problems. Interestingly, few (17%) thought the clinician saw such a connection. Participants reporting abuse were more likely to believe that their diagnosis was not an accurate description of their difficulties. They also reported dissatisfaction with treatment compared to those participants who did not report abuse. The discussion makes recommendations for staff training and routine abuse inquiry.