How many people need drug treatment?
The 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports that8.1 percent of the United States (or 21.7 million people) aged 12 or older needed substance use treatment in the past year. 1 A total of 2.5 million persons received treatment in the United States, which means millions of people still need drug treatment. 2
What percentage of the US population receives mental health treatment?
In 2019, 19.2% of U.S. adults received any mental health treatment in the past 12 months, including 15.8% who had taken prescription medication for their mental health and 9.5% who had received counseling or therapy from a mental health professional.
How effective is therapy in the United States?
A similar poll released in May, "Therapy in America 2004," and co-sponsored by Psychology Today magazine and PacifiCare Behavioral Health, found that an estimated 59 million people have received mental health treatment in the past two years, and that 80 percent of them have found it effective.
How many Americans have a substance use disorder?
21.2 million Americans have a substance use disorder. In 2018, just 11% of those patients received the treatment they needed. And one in five people wrestling with an addiction say they do not know where to turn for help. In many places, there’s no one nearby with specialized expertise.
What percentage of Americans are in recovery?
This study estimates that 11.1% of adults in the U.S., translating to 27.5 million people, have had a substance use problem in their lifetime and that 74.8% – 8.3% of the total US adult population – or 20.5 million adults are in recovery or have recovered from this problem.
What percentage of Americans have addiction problems?
The study, funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health, found that about 4 percent of Americans met the criteria for drug use disorder in the past year and about 10 percent have had drug use disorder at some time in their lives.
What percent of drug users drop out of treatment programs?
A recent study researching drop-out rates of substance abuse treatment programs found that almost one-third of all participants drop-out and, therefore, do not complete their treatment.
Has drug use increased in 2021?
The 2021 survey reported significant decreases in use across many substances, including those most commonly used in adolescence – alcohol, marijuana, and vaped nicotine. The 2021 decrease in vaping for both marijuana and tobacco follows sharp increases in use between 2017 and 2019, which then leveled off in 2020.
Where do most of the drugs in the US come from?
The answer is with manufacturing. While many of these substances certainly come from other places, America supplies plenty of its own drug supply, too. Of the drugs that are entering the United States from outside native territories, most are coming from Central and South America.
How many people have received mental health treatment in 2019?
In 2019, 19.2% of adults had received any mental health treatment in the past 12 months, including 15.8% who had taken prescription medication for their mental health and 9.5% who received counseling or therapy from a mental health professional.
Which group of people was more likely to receive mental health treatment than men?
Women were more likely than men to have received any mental health treatment.
Which group of people took more medication for mental health?
Non-Hispanic white adults (19.1%) were more likely than non-Hispanic black (11.1%) and Hispanic (10.3%) adults to have taken medication for their mental health.
How many people have received mental health treatment in the past two years?
A similar poll released in May, "Therapy in America 2004," and co-sponsored by Psychology Today magazine and PacifiCare Behavioral Health, found that an estimated 59 million people have received mental health treatment in the past two years, and that 80 percent of them have found it effective.
What percentage of people feel they have access to mental health care?
Ninety-seven percent of respondents considered access to mental health services "important," but only 70 percent feel they have adequate access to mental health care.
How many doctors are certified in addiction medicine?
Just 1,883 physicians nationwide are certified in addiction medicine, while an additional 1,288 physicians are qualified to practice addiction psychiatry, according to the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). Meanwhile, the American Board of Pain Medicine counts just 2,200 certified and practicing pain management physicians.
How many doctors are trained to treat opioids?
Just 3,000 physicians are specially trained to treat them. If enacted, the Opioid Workforce Act of 2019 would add 1,000 more federally-funded residencies in addiction medicine, addiction psychiatry, and pain medicine. In the meantime, academic medical centers are training other physicians to treat patients.
Why are there no physicians for substance use disorders?
The lack of physicians with specialized expertise in treating substance use disorders is due to a multitude of factors , not least of which is a scarcity of residencies in addiction medicine and addiction psychiatry. The Opioid Workforce Act of 2019 would create 1,000 new residencies in those subspecialties and pain medicine.
Why are there no physicians with specialized expertise in treating substance use disorders?
The lack of physicians with specialized expertise in treating substance use disorders is due to a multitude of factors , not least of which is a scarcity of residencies in addiction medicine and addiction psychiatry. The Opioid Workforce Act of 2019 would create 1,000 new residencies in those subspecialties and pain medicine.
Why should doctors be trained in addiction?
Teitelbaum argues that all physicians should receive training in order to be able to “spot the patient,” including those at high-risk, and then intervene and prevent the onset of illness. After all, this is not only about the current crisis of opioid addiction, he says. Drugs such as alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine have and will continue to be abused by patients, so doctors need to understand addiction medicine overall.
How many medical education positions will be added to the opioid workforce?
Bipartisan legislation, in the form of the Opioid Workforce Act of 2019, would add 1,000 graduate medical education positions over the next five years in hospitals that have, or are in the process of establishing, accredited residency programs in addiction medicine, addiction psychiatry, or pain medicine. The legislation, which would boost the ...
When did addiction become a medical specialty?
While physicians have been treating addiction since the 1800s, addiction medicine as a medical specialty has emerged only in the last 50 years.
How many questions are asked in the substance use evaluation?
The evaluation consists of 11 yes or no questions that are intended to be used as an informational tool to assess the severity and probability of a substance use disorder. The test is free, confidential, and no personal information is needed to receive the result.
How should rehab programs be evaluated?
With all this in mind, how can – and should – rehab programs be evaluated? Treatment centers should be judged on the quality of the care they provide, even after treatment, not merely the quantity of clients they see. What former clients have to say, via personal recommendations and testimonials, can say much more about a facility than an impressive but ill-defined “90 percent success rate.”
What is the Scientific American article on relapse?
The Scientific American article on relapse references an earlier SA article on “ do-it-yourself cures ” for addiction , which summarizes a critical problem when considering the various studies and their conflicting messages about treatment success:
Why do rehabs have alumni?
Alumni programs provide accountability and allow individuals to remain actively involved in a supportive recovery community. A good rehab will help the individual to cultivate or connect with this type of community during treatment because that gives the individual the best chance for continuity upon leaving rehab.
What is a better approach to care?
A better approach involves judging the actual quality of care a facility provides, both during and after the formal treatment period.
Is rehab a success story?
But since they finish treatment, it’s enough for the facility to consider this a “success” story. As a result, it’s essential that rehab centers use a different definition of success rather than simply finishing the program.
Is addiction a problem in rehab?
The insidious nature of addiction adds to the problem of defining success in rehab. Some patients simply go through the motions of treatment, doing and saying anything just to graduate from their program, if it means getting back into the outside world where they can resume their drug consumption.
How many people needed treatment for substance abuse in 2017?
In 2017, an estimated 20.7 million people age 12 and older needed treatment for a substance use disorder. Only 4 million people received treatment, or about 19% of those who needed it. 1
How many people have substance use disorder in 2017?
In 2017, about 9.4% of men and 5.2% of women age 12 and older had a substance use disorder. 7. Men may be more likely to abuse illicit drugs than women, but women may be just as prone to addiction as men when they do abuse them. 8.
What are the statistics on drug use?
Statistics on Drug Addiction 1 According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 19.7 million American adults (aged 12 and older) battled a substance use disorder in 2017. 1 2 Almost 74% of adults suffering from a substance use disorder in 2017 struggled with an alcohol use disorder. 1 3 About 38% of adults in 2017 battled an illicit drug use disorder. 1 4 That same year, 1 out of every 8 adults struggled with both alcohol and drug use disorders simultaneously. 1 5 In 2017, 8.5 million American adults suffered from both a mental health disorder and a substance use disorder, or co-occurring disorders. 1 6 Drug abuse and addiction cost American society more than $740 billion annually in lost workplace productivity, healthcare expenses, and crime-related costs. 2
What is the relapse rate for substance use disorders?
The relapse rate for substance use disorders is estimated to be between 40% and 60%. This rate is similar to rates of relapse for other chronic diseases such as hypertension or asthma. 19
What were the most common prescription drugs used in 2017?
The most common types of prescription drugs abused in 2017 were pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants, and sedatives. 7. In 2017, about 1.7 million people age 12 and older had a pain reliever use disorder, or about 0.6% of this population. 1.
What is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States?
Alcohol is the third-leading cause of preventable death in the United States. 16
How many adolescents have alcoholism in 2017?
About 443,000 adolescents age 12 to 17 had an alcohol use disorder in 2017, or 1.8% of adolescents. 1. An estimated 741,000 adolescents suffered from an illicit drug use disorder in 2017, or about 3% of this population. 1. Young adults aged 18-25:
Key Findings
Women Were More Likely Than Men to Have Received Any Mental Health Treatment.
- Nearly one in four women received any mental health treatment (24.7%) in the past 12 months, compared with 13.4% of men (Figure 2).
- Women were more likely than men to have taken medication for their mental health (20.6% and 10.7%, respectively) and to have received counseling or therapy from a mental health professional (11.7%...
Summary
- In 2019, 19.2% of U.S. adults received any mental health treatment in the past 12 months, including 15.8% who had taken prescription medication for their mental health and 9.5% who had received counseling or therapy from a mental health professional. While the percentage of adults who had taken medication for their mental health increased with age, the percentage who had re…
Definitions
- Any mental health treatment: A composite measure of adults who reported having taken medication for their mental health, received counseling or therapy from a mental health professional, or both in the past 12 months. Race and Hispanic origin: Adults categorized as Hispanic may be of any race or combination of races. Adults categorized as non-Hispanic white …
Data Source and Methods
- Data from the 2019 NHIS were used for this analysis. NHIS is a nationally representative household survey of the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population. It is conducted continuously throughout the year by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Interviews are conducted in respondents’ homes, but follow-ups to complete interviews may be conducted over the teleph…
About The Authors
- Emily P. Terlizzi and Benjamin Zablotsky are with the National Center for Health Statistics, Division of Health Interview Statistics.
References
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Healthexternal...
- American Psychiatric Association. DSM–IV: Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 4th ed. Washington, DC. 1994.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Healthexternal...
- American Psychiatric Association. DSM–IV: Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 4th ed. Washington, DC. 1994.
- Eaton NR, Keyes KM, Krueger RF, Balsis S, Skodol AE, Markon KE, et al. An invariant dimensional liability model of gender differences in mental disorder prevalence: Evidence from a national sample....
- MacKenzie CS, Gekoski WL, Knox VJ. Age, gender, and the underutilization of mental health services: The influence of help-seeking attitudes. Aging Ment Health 10(6):574–82. 2006.
Suggested Citation
- Terlizzi EP, Zablotsky B. Mental health treatment among adults: United States, 2019. NCHS Data Brief, no 380. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2020.