Treatment FAQ

how many people need treatment and how many people actually receive treatment in the us

by Demetris Wolf Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Roughly 1 in 8 people in the United States in need of treatment actually received clinical treatment for their addiction, equating to roughly 2.5 million people.

In 2016, about 19.9 million adults needed substance use treatment in the past year, representing 8.1 percent of adults. Of the 19.9 million adults needing substance use treatment, 10.8 percent received specialty treatment (2.1 million).

Full Answer

How many people need treatment for drug and alcohol addiction?

In 2011, 21.6 million persons aged 12 or older needed treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol use problem, but only 2.3 million received treatment at a specialty substance abuse facility. Reducing this gap requires a multipronged approach.

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 many people are addicted to drugs?

According to the annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) there are 20.8 million people (7.8 percent of the total population) who currently meet the criteria for a substance use disorder. Of these people, only 2.2 million (10.4% of the addicted population) received any type of treatment.

How many people don’t receive drug rehab?

While addiction and substance abuse are undoubtedly major problems in the US, a survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found that as many as 90 percent of people who most need drug rehab do not receive it. With such a desperate need for solutions, what results can be expected from treatment?

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What percentage of the US population goes to therapy?

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.

How many people are in treatment?

In 2020, around 41.4 million adults in the United States received treatment or counseling for their mental health within the past year. Such treatment included inpatient or outpatient treatment or counseling, or the use of prescription medication.

How many people receive treatment for mental health issues?

In 2020, among the 14.2 million adults with SMI, 9.1 million (64.5%) received mental health treatment in the past year.

What ratio of people in the US do not receive treatment for the symptoms of a mental disorder?

In 2019, 24.7% of adults with a mental illness report an unmet need for treatment. Over 60% of youth with major depression do not receive any mental health treatment.

What is the success rate of therapy?

Research shows that most people who receive psychotherapy experience symptom relief and are better able to function in their lives. About 75 percent of people who enter psychotherapy show some benefit from it.

How many people are addicted to drugs in the US in 2021?

Key takeaways include: 22 million people suffer from active substance use disorders. 45 million people are directly impacted by addiction.

What race goes to therapy the most?

Outpatient mental health service use in the past year was highest for adults reporting two or more races (8.8 percent), white adults (7.8 percent), and American Indian or Alaska Native adults (7.7 percent), followed by black (4.7 percent), Hispanic (3.8 percent), and Asian (2.5 percent) adults.

What percentage of the US population suffers from mental illness?

An estimated 26% of Americans ages 18 and older -- about 1 in 4 adults -- suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year.

Is therapy becoming more common?

2017 is quickly becoming a year where therapy is being popularized by big names in the media. From television, to music, down to social media outlets, a therapy culture is now #Trending and opening up conversations about sitting on the couch.

What are the statistics of mental health?

21% of U.S. adults experienced mental illness in 2020 (52.9 million people). This represents 1 in 5 adults. 5.6% of U.S. adults experienced serious mental illness in 2020 (14.2 million people). This represents 1 in 20 adults.

What percentage of the world has mental health issues?

Mental health and substance use disorders affect 13% of the world's population. That number could increase as people around the world shelter in place and adjust to a new normal amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Which country has the highest rate of mental health issues?

China leads in various categories tracked by the World Health Organization.

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.

Should treatment centers be judged on quality?

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.”.

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.

Is there a standard definition of rehab?

There is no standard definition of rehab, so there is no standardized way to measure the success of addiction centers. Many base their success rates on unreliable metrics, such as: A better approach involves judging the actual quality of care a facility provides, both during and after the formal treatment period.

Is there a 12-step program?

Joining Johnson’s voice, many who object to the rigid principles of 12-Step programs (for example surrendering to a higher power), point to cases of “spontaneous recovery,” as evidence that 12-Step is only one approach in the mix. Many cite a small 1985 Journal of Studies on Alcohol study in which drinkers were able to walk away from their behavior of their own volition via a combination of willpower, developing a physical aversion to alcohol after bottoming out, and experiencing some kind of life-changing experience to support the idea that 12-Step or rehab in general isn’t a must in every case.

Is there a standard metric for rehabilitation?

The answer is not very straightforward. According to TIME magazine, there is no standard definition of “rehab,” so there is no standard metric of success for rehabilitation centers. Some facilities simply measure how many of their patients complete their programs; others consider sobriety in the follow-up months and years after “graduation” as the threshold for success.

Is medication based therapy more effective than psychological therapy?

When asked what he would call the medication-based approach, Johnson stressed that medications can often be more effective than psychological therapy on its own. Johnson also points out myths that tend to feed the self-help model, including the idea that one must hit “rock bottom” before entering treatment.

How many people needed substance abuse treatment in 2015?

The 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) data indicate that 8.1 percent or 21.7 million people aged 12 or older needed substance use treatment in the past year. In 2015, an estimated 2.3 million people aged 12 or older who needed substance use treatment received treatment at a specialty facility in the past year.

How many adolescents do not receive substance abuse treatment?

Of the estimated 1.2 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 who needed but did not receive substance use treatment at a specialty facility in the past year, 17,000 (1.4 percent) perceived a need for substance use treatment.

How is the extent of the unmet substance use need measured?

The extent of the unmet substance use treatment need in the United States is measured by calculating the number of people aged 12 or older who were classified as needing substance use treatment but who did not receive substance use treatment at a specialty facility in the past year. This section focuses on the receipt (or lack of receipt) ...

What is the National Survey on Drug Use and Health?

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) is an annual survey of the civilian, noninstitutionalized population of the United States aged 12 years or older. NSDUH gathers information on substance use treatment need and service utilization.

What is a substance use disorder?

Substance use disorders (SUDs) represent clinically significant impairment caused by the recurrent use of alcohol or illicit drugs (or both), including health problems, disability, and failure to meet major responsibilities at work, school, or home. 1 The consequences of SUD can be costly to people and the nation as a whole because they are often associated with negative outcomes, such as involvement with the justice system, 2,3 occurrence of chronic health conditions, 4 and poorer health outcomes. 5

Which age group has the highest rate of substance abuse?

Broken down by age, we can see that the group most at risk and with the highest rate of substance abuse issues is the 18 – 25-year-old demographic. Roughly 1 in 7 individuals in this age demographic have substance abuse issues.

Why would someone struggling with substance abuse not feel the need to get help?

Why would someone struggling with substance abuse issues not feel the need to get help? For one, it could be a lack of awareness about how severe their issues are. It could also be a lack of faith in the efficacy of clinical treatment. They may also feel like getting sober isn’t worth the effort and they would prefer to be high the rest of their lives.

Why do people not seek out medical care?

One of the many reasons that people don’t seek out or get the care that they need is because not everyone has access to proper health care coverage. Some treatment centers have to turn patients away because they are unable to take certain insurance or they lack insurance altogether.

How many people in the US have received mental health treatment?

adults who received mental health treatment or counseling within the previous year from 2002 to 2019. In 2019, it was estimated that around 40.2 million adults in the U.S. received mental health treatment or counseling at some time in the previous year.

What is mental health services?

Mental Health Services is defined as having received inpatient treatment/counseling or outpatient treatment/counseling or having used prescription medication for problems with emotions, nerves, or mental health. Respondents were not to include treatment for drug or alcohol use.

What is drug treatment?

Drug treatment and rehabilitation are ongoing processes that requires consistent evaluation and monitoring. The National Institute on Drug Abuse compares the relapse rates of substance abusers with the relapse rates of diabetics and sufferers of asthma or hypertension.

Can substance abuse treatment fail?

With Determination to Succeed, Substance Abuse Treatment Can’t Fail. When you consider substance abuse disorders as similar to a recurring disease, treatment will never really fail. Unless abandoned, treatment will just continue reduce symptoms of relapse and remission for the duration of treatment.

How many substance abuse facilities are there in the US?

In 2018, there were 14,809 substance abuse facilities in the U.S., with the highest number found in the state of California.

How much money does addiction treatment make?

American Addiction Centers, one of the largest treatment organizations in the U.S., reported revenue of almost 296 million dollars in 2018, a substantial increase from the 212 million dollars reported in 2015.

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 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.

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:

Is addiction a treatable disease?

Addiction is considered a highly treatable disease, and recovery is attainable. About 10% of American adults who are at least 18 years old say they are in recovery from an alcohol or drug abuse issue. 20. Statistics on Addiction Treatment.

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Key Findings

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Data from the National Health Interview Survey 1. 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. 2. Women were more lik…
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Women Were More Likely Than Men to Have Received Any Mental Health Treatment.

  1. 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).
  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%...
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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 …
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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…
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About The Authors

  • Emily P. Terlizzi and Benjamin Zablotsky are with the National Center for Health Statistics, Division of Health Interview Statistics.
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References

  1. 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...
  2. American Psychiatric Association. DSM–IV: Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 4th ed. Washington, DC. 1994.
  1. 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...
  2. American Psychiatric Association. DSM–IV: Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 4th ed. Washington, DC. 1994.
  3. 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....
  4. 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.
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