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Highlights of Reports on Treatment and Mental Health Issues

Also see All mental health reports and data

Also see mental health treatment tables

Also see unmet mental health treatment need

  • newThe NSDUH Report:  Adolescent Mental Health: Service Settings and Reasons for Receiving Care    SAMHSA's 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health provides data on the types of mental health settings where youth aged 12 to 17 received treatment or counseling for problems with behavior or emotions in the past year: 12.5% received their treatment or counseling in a specialty mental health setting, 11.5% in an educational setting, and 2.8% in a general medical setting. One in twenty (5.1%) of the youth received treatment or counseling for their behavioral or emotional problems in both a specialty mental health setting and an educational or general medical setting.  The most common reasons for which the youth received mental health services were: feeling depressed (50%), problems at home/family (28.8%), breaking rules or "acting out" (25.1%) and thought about killing self or tried to kill self (20.2%).  While there were no gender differences in the receipt of care in inpatient specialty settings, female youth were more likely than males to receive mental health services in outpatient specialty, educational, or general medical settings.
  • newThe NSDUH Report: Mental Health Service Use among Youths Aged 12 to 17: 2005 and 2006   Combined 2005 and 2006 data from SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health indicate that an annual average of 3.3 million youths aged 12 to 17 (13.3%) received services for emotional or behavioral problems in a specialty mental health setting in the past year.   About 3 million youth (12%) received services for emotional or behavioral problems in a school-based setting, and around 752,000 (3%) received such services in a general medical setting.   Female youths were more likely than their male counterparts to receive services for emotional or behavioral problems in a specialty mental health or educational setting.
  • The NSDUH Report: Out-of-Home Services for Emotional or Behavioral Problems among Youths Aged 12 to 17: 2002 to 2006   Combined 2002 to 2006 data from SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health indicate that an estimated 2.6% of youths aged 12 to 17 reported receiving out-of-home services for emotional or behavioral problems in the past 12 months in a hospital, a residential treatment center or a foster care or therapeutic foster care setting.   Among youths aged 12 to 17 who received any type of out-of-home services for emotional or behavioral problems in the past 12 months, about half reported staying only for one or two nights.   The reported length of time spent in out-of-home services settings in the past year varied by gender; in general, male youths aged 12 to 17 were more likely to report having stayed for one night, while their female counterparts were more likely to report having stayed for seven nights or longer. 
  • The NSDUH Report:  Serious Psychological Distress and Receipt of Mental Health Services  SAMHSA's 2007 National Survey on Drug Use & Health (NSDUH) found that 10.9% of adults aged 18 or older (24.3 million) experienced serious psychological distress (SPD) in the past year.  Of the adults who experienced serious psychological distress in the past year, less than half (44.6%) received mental health services during that time.  Young adults aged 18 to 25 with serious psychological distress were less likely than other adults with serious psychological distress to have received mental health services: 29.4% of those aged 18 to 25; 47.2% of those aged 26 to 49, and 53.8% of those aged 50 or older with past year serious psychological distress received mental health services in the past year.  Of the adults with past year serious psychological distress, 6.9% received all three types of mental health services (inpatient, outpatient, and prescription medication), 43.3% received only outpatient services and prescription medication, and 34.7% received only prescription medication. 
  • The NSDUH Report: Major Depressive Episode and Treatment for Depression among Veterans Aged 21 to 39    Combined data from SAMHSA's 2004 to 2007 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health indicate than an annual average of 9.3% (312,000) veterans aged 21 to 39 experienced at least one major depressive episode in the past year.   Among veterans aged 21 to 39 with a major depressive episode in the past year, 51.7% reported severe impairment in at least one of four role domains (i.e., home management, work, close relationships with others, and social life) and 23.5% reported very severe impairment in at least one of the domains.    More than half (59.6%) of veterans aged 21 to 39 who experienced a major depressive episode in the past year received treatment for depression in the past year.
  • The NSDUH Report: Mental Health Service Use among Youths Aged 12 to 17: 2005 and 2006   Combined 2005 and 2006 data from SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health indicate that an annual average of 3.3 million youths aged 12 to 17 (13.3%) received services for emotional or behavioral problems in a specialty mental health setting in the past year.   About 3 million youth (12%) received services for emotional or behavioral problems in a school-based setting, and around 752,000 (3%) received such services in a general medical setting.   Female youths were more likely than their male counterparts to receive services for emotional or behavioral problems in a specialty mental health or educational setting.
  • The NSDUH Report: Out-of-Home Services for Emotional or Behavioral Problems among Youths Aged 12 to 17: 2002 to 2006   Combined 2002 to 2006 data from SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health indicate that an estimated 2.6% of youths aged 12 to 17 reported receiving out-of-home services for emotional or behavioral problems in the past 12 months in a hospital, a residential treatment center or a foster care or therapeutic foster care setting.   Among youths aged 12 to 17 who received any type of out-of-home services for emotional or behavioral problems in the past 12 months, about half reported staying only for one or two nights.   The reported length of time spent in out-of-home services settings in the past year varied by gender; in general, male youths aged 12 to 17 were more likely to report having stayed for one night, while their female counterparts were more likely to report having stayed for seven nights or longer.
  • The NSDUH Report:  Serious Psychological Distress Among Adults Aged 50 or Older: 2005 and 2006  Combined data from SAMHSA's 2005 and 2006 National Surveys on Drug Use & Health (NSDUH) indicate than an annual average of 7% of adults aged 50 or older experienced serious psychological distress in the past year. Adults aged 50 to 64 were more likely to experience past year serious psychological distress than those aged 65 or older (8.8% vs. 4.5%).  Adults aged 50 or older were more likely to experience serious psychological distress in the past year if they had less than a high school education than if they were college graduates (10.2% vs. 5.2%), had family incomes less than $20,000 compared with those with $75,000 or more (11.7% vs. 4.4%), and were without health insurance compared with those with health insurance (12.3% vs. 6.7%).  Over half (53.7%) of the adults aged 50 or older with past year serious psychological distress received mental health treatment in the past year, 6.2% did not receive treatment although they felt they needed it, and 40.1% did not receive treatment and did not perceive a need for it. 
  • The NSDUH Report: Treatment for Past Year Depression among Adults  Based on SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 67.4% of the adults who had experienced at least one major depressive episode during the past year had received treatment for depression in the past year.  The types of treatment received for depression in the past year by the adults with past year depression were: 69.4% both talked to a professional and received medication for their depression, 23.8% only talked to a professional about their depression, and 6.7% only received medication for their depression.  Perceived helpfulness of their treatment for depression depended upon which treatment they received. Adults with depression in the past year who received medication as well as talked to a professional were most likely to perceive their treatment as extremely helpful or helped alot.
  •  The NSDUH Report:  Service Utilization for Mental Health Problems among Adults     SAMHSA's National Surveys on Drug Use and Health in 2003 through 2005 were combined to assess the receipt of treatment for mental health problems, the perceived unmet need for such treatment, and the reasons for not receiving treatment for mental health problems among those with an unmet need for treatment. Among adults aged 18 or older, 13% (27.9 million persons) received treatment or counseling for mental health problems in the past 12 months. About 5.1% of all adults and 19.2% of adults who received treatment for mental health problems in the past year perceived an unmet need for treatment or counseling for mental health problems in the past year. Of those adults who perceived an unmet need for treatment for mental health problems in the past year, 48.1% reported cost or insurance issues as a barrier to treatment receipt.
  • The NSDUH Report:  Substance Use Disorder and Serious Psychological Distress by Employment Status    Among full time employed adults aged 18 to 64 in SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 10.6% were classified as having a past year substance use disorder, 10.2% experienced serious psychological distress during the past year, and 2.4% had co-occurring serious psychological distress and a substance use disorder.   Full time employed males in this age group were nearly twice as likely to have a past year substance use disorder than their female counterparts (13.2% vs. 6.9%).   In contrast, females were nearly twice as likely to have experienced serious psychological distress during the past year than were the males (14.2% vs. 7.3%). Of the 2.9 million adults aged 18 to 64 employed full time who had co-occurring serious psychological distress and a substance use disorder, nearly 60% were not treated for either problem and less than 5% were treated for both problems.
  • The New DAWN Report:  Emergency Department Visits Involving Patients with Co-occurring Disorders   During 2004, an estimated 192,690 patients in drug-related emergency department visits were diagnosed with co-occurring substance use and mental disorders.  When emergency department visits involved co-occurring disorders, 40.4% were treated and released home or referred to detoxification or other drug treatment and 42.2% were admitted to inpatient units including chemical dependency or detoxification units.   Of the emergency department visits with co-occurring diagnosis, the drug most frequently reported were cocaine (31.8%), alcohol (29.3%), opiates/opioids (18.0%),  and marijuana (16.3%). 
  • The New DAWN Report:  Disposition of Emergency Department Visits for Drug-Related Suicide Attempts by Adolescents, 2004   According to SAMHSA's Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN),  in 2004 there were over 15,000 emergency department visits by adolescents aged 12 to 17 whose suicide attempts involved drugs.    Pain medications were involved in about half of the suicide attempts.  Almost three quarters of the drug related suicide attempts were serious enough to merit the patient's admission to the same hospital or transfer to another health care facility.  Antidepressants or other psychotherapeutic medications were involved in over 40% of the suicide attempts by adolescents who were admitted to the hospital.   
  • The DASIS Report:  Adolescents with Co-Occurring Psychiatric Disorders:  2003   Of the approximately 78,000 admissions aged 12 to 17 in the 26 States that reported presence or absence of co-occurring problems to SAMHSA's Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), about 16,000 (21%) were admissions with a co-occurring psychiatric problem in addition to an alcohol and/or drug problem. Adolescent admissions with co-occurring disorders were more likely to be female than adolescent admissions for only substance use disorders (38% vs. 28%). Nearly three-quarters of adolescent admissions with co-occurring disorders were White (72%) compared to half of adolescent admissions for only substance use disorders (51%). Criminal justice system referrals for treatment were the most common source of referral for both adolescent admissions with co-occurring disorders (48%) and adolescent admissions for only substance use disorders (57%).
  • The DASIS Report:  Male Admissions with Co-Occurring Psychiatric and Substance Use Problems,  2003   Of the approximately 668,000 male admissions in the 29 States that reported presence or absence of co-occurring problems to SAMHSA's Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), about 103,000 (15%) were male admissions with co-occurring problems. Male admissions with co-occurring problems were more likely to report alcohol as the primary substance of abuse than male admissions for substance abuse alone (48% vs. 43%). Male admissions with co-occurring problems were more likely to be White than were male admissions for substance abuse alone (69% vs. 57%). Only 28% of male admissions with co-occurring problems were referred to treatment through the criminal justice system compared to 45% of male admissions for substance abuse alone.
  • The NSDUH Report:  Women with Co-Occurring Serious Mental Illness and a Substance Use Disorder    Based on SAMHSA's 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, nearly 2 million women aged 18 or older were estimated to have both serious mental illness (SMI) and a substance use disorder during the past year. Women with co-occurring SMI and a substance use disorder were more likely than men with co-occurring SMI and a substance use disorder to have received treatment for a mental disorder and/or specialty substance use treatment during the past year.
  • The NSDUH Report:  Adults with Co-Occurring Serious Mental Illness and a Substance Use Disorder    SAMHSA's 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that 17.5 million adults aged 18 or older (8%) were estimated to have a serious mental illness in the past year. About 4 million of the adults with a serious mental illness in 2002 also were dependent on or abused alcohol or an illicit drug; that is, they had a co-occurring substance abuse and mental disorder. More than half of the adults with co-occurring serious mental illness and a substance use disorder received neither specialty substance use treatment nor mental health treatment during the past year. Among adults with co-occurring disorders, 34% received mental health treatment only, 2% received specialty substance use treatment only, and 12% received both mental health and specialty substance use treatment during the past year.
  • The DASIS Report:  Admissions with Co-Occurring Disorders,  1995 and 2001   Between 1995 and 2001, the proportion of substance abuse treatment admissions with co-occurring substance abuse and psychiatric disorders reported to SAMHSA's Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) increased from 12% to 16%. The proportion of females among admissions with co-occurring disorders increased from 38% to 44%, while remaining stable at about 30% among all other admissions. The proportion of admissions reporting alcohol as the primary substance of abuse decreased for both admissions with co-occurring disorders (from 51% to 45%) and all other admissions (from 45% to 38%). However, primary use of opiates increased for admissions with co-occurring disorders (from 13% to 21%) while remaining stable for all other admissions at 25%.
  • The NSDUH Report:  Reasons for Not Receiving Treatment Among Adults with Serious Mental Illness   Although mental disorders account for 4 of the 10 leading causes of disability in the U.S., SAMHSA's Survey on Drug Use and Health found that less than half of adults (age 18 and older) with a serious mental illness received treatment or counseling for a mental health problem during the past year.  More than 2 million adults with a serious mental illness reported that they did not receive treatment.   Cost of treatment was the primary reason for not getting mental health treatment. Other reasons included concerns about stigma, not knowing where to go for treatment, fear of being committed or having to take medicine, and lack of time or transportation. 
  • The DASIS Report:  Services Provided by Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities   Based on SAMHSA's National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS), facilities with a specially designed treatment program were likely to offer related services.  For example, those with a specially designed treatment program or group for clients with co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders were likely to offer mental health assessment and pharmacotherapy; those  for pregnant women were likely to provide social services, child care assistance, and domestic violence education; and those for persons with HIV/AIDS to provide testing services, e.g., for HIV, TB, hepatitis, and STD. 
  • The DASIS Report:  Admissions of Persons with Co-Occurring Disorders,  2000  Co-occurring disorders admissions were less likely to be in the labor force than substance abuse only admissions (47 percent vs. 58 percent).   Co-occurring disorders admissions to substance abuse treatment were more likely to have been referred through alcohol, drug abuse, and other health care providers.  In contrast,  substance abuse only admissions  were more likely to have been referred to treatment by the criminal justice system. 
  • The DASIS Report: Primary Focus of Facilities Treating Substance Abuse    Nationally, 61 percent of substance abuse treatment facilities focused on substance abuse treatment services, 25 percent on a mix of mental health and substance abuse treatment services, and 9 percent on mental health services, and 5 percent on general health care or other services. 

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This page was last updated on February 17, 2009.

SAMHSA, an agency in the Department of Health and Human Services, is the Federal Government's lead agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment, and mental health services in the United States.

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