Abstract This study interviewed 182 pairs of patients
and caregivers to explore the needs and demands for
community programs for patients with chronic mental illness
and to detect the factors associated with them. The
most needed and demanded programs were structured day
services (69.2 vs. 78.6%), club house (71.4 vs. 74.2%), and
caregiver support (72.5 vs. 74.7%). The needs and demands
perceived by both patients and caregivers ranged from 3.3
to 31.9%, while those perceived by either patients or
caregivers ranged from 25.8 to 72.5%. Needs and demands
for individual programs were higher in caregivers (67,
65.9%) than in patients (41.2, 42.9%) and the proportion of
demand (42.3–78.6%) for the eight programs was greater
than the need (25.8–72.5%) for programs. The results
showed that married and younger caregivers needed and
demanded active community programs and the patients
with a higher level of education favored a club house with
high autonomy.
Keywords Community psychiatric rehabilitation
Need Demand Chronic mental illness Caregiver