Objective: This study aimed to compare and examine the clinical usefulness of the needs assessment scales for assessing the needs of people with mental disorders based on a literature review.

Method: The bibliographic databases PubMed, CINAHL with Full Text, and Ichushi Ver. 5 were used to find the relevant studies published until November 2018. PubMed and CINAHL were searched with the keywords “mental disorders,” “needs assessment,” and “tool,” while Ichushi Ver. 5 was searched with the keywords “mental disorders” and “needs assessment.”

Results: A total of nine needs assessment scales were obtained from the international literature; the Camberwell Assessment of Need (CAN) for clinical purposes was widely used as reliable measures. Attempts to identify the number of items and evaluation stages for CAN were also made, however, no scales obtained showed any improved effectiveness. In Japanese literature, no scales for needs assessment were found.

Discussion: In the future, it would be necessary to translate CAN to Japanese and examine its improvements to provide a better support for mental health service users.