SAMHSA Celebrates Behavioral Health Advances Over 20 Years

In 2012, SAMHSA is celebrating its 20th birthday—and the progress the behavioral health field has made in prevention, treatment, and recovery. Since SAMHSA was created in 1992, the behavioral health field has changed dramatically. For example, in 1992, many in the behavioral health field didn’t believe that recovery from mental and substance use disorders was possible. Thanks to peer movements launched by people in recovery themselves, and supported by SAMHSA, today the vision of recovery has become a national call to action. Recovery is viewed as a process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential.

In 1992, the field was struggling to develop services and support in the community. Today, there is a much broader array of quality, community-based and peer support services, stronger involvement of people in recovery in systems change, and a strong mission to improve existing programs. People recovering from mental and substance use disorders are also playing a central role in their own care. Self-determination and shared decision making between them and their service providers are essential themes in prevention and treatment efforts.

The field has seen important legislative developments, too. The Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, for instance, now requires that services for mental and substance use disorders be no more restrictive than medical and surgical benefits offered in the same plan. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 expands health insurance coverage to many Americans who are currently uninsured and also promotes a bi-directional integration of physical and behavioral health in both primary care and behavioral health specialty settings.

To see what your colleagues in the behavioral health field view as the most important research studies, promising practices, legislative and court decisions, and other milestones of the last two decades, click here. SAMHSA will use the comments to help plan a celebration of behavioral health accomplishments over the next year.