One in three young people in the United States Mental Health Treatment About 8.3 million youth ages 12 to 17 will need counseling, medication or other treatment in 2023, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported Tuesday.
The findings are among those released in SAMHSA’s 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The comprehensive poll, conducted annually by the federal agency, is closely tracked by mental health and addiction experts. The survey includes a wide range of questions asked of Americans ages 12 and older who live in the community rather than in nursing homes.
The most common type of mental health treatment was meeting with a provider in an outpatient setting, such as a therapist’s office or a school counseling center.
Among adolescents, the biggest increase from 2022 was in the number of people prescribed medication for mental health treatment. SAMHSA estimates that 13.9% of 12- to 17-year-olds received such a prescription in 2023. That’s up from 12.8% the year before, though the agency said the increase was not statistically significant.
The percentage of adults receiving mental health treatment also increased from 21.8% in the 2022 survey to 23% in 2023. Among adults, 16.3% received prescription medication for mental health treatment, up from 15.2% in 2022.
SAMHSA officials say normalization Clearing the stigma Seek mental health treatment.
“We think it’s a good thing that more people are getting and connecting with mental health treatment. Certainly, making treatment more accessible and making sure people know that treatment, services and supports are available has been a focus of the Biden-Harris Administration,” Miriam Delphin-Ritmon, assistant secretary for mental health and substance use, said at a press conference on Tuesday.
SAMHSA survey results show the percentage of youth receiving mental health treatment has increased nearly every year since 2009, but the agency cautioned against making direct comparisons to results from before 2021 due to changes in survey methodology.
The study estimates that 7.7 million, or 29.8%, 12- to 17-year-olds will be receiving some form of mental health treatment in 2022. This increase means more than 500,000 new youth will be receiving treatment in 2023, according to SAMHSA.
The proportion of adolescents who reported experiencing a major depressive episode has remained roughly steady since 2021, at 18.1% of 12-17 year olds, or 4.5 million people.
Psychiatrists classify a major depressive episode as a period of at least two weeks in which a person feels so depressed that it interferes with daily activities like sleeping and eating, or causes thoughts of death or suicide.
“This report shows that we must continue to be resolute in our efforts to address the mental health and substance use crisis,” Delphine Ritmon said.
Prevalence of e-cigarette and marijuana use
According to the SAMHSA study, traditional cigarette use continues to decline nationwide and is projected to fall 13.7 percent, or to 38.7 million people, among youth and adults in 2023.
Meanwhile, use of e-cigarettes containing nicotine increased to 9.4% of youth and adults, or 26.6 million people, from 8.3% in 2022.
About 11.7% of people using nicotine e-cigarettes were underage, roughly the same as last year. Other federal studies have reported that e-cigarette use may be declining significantly among high school students, but use among middle school students has not.
SAMHSA said the survey found that overall marijuana use remained roughly steady from last year, with 21.8 percent, or 61.8 million adolescents and adults, smoking or consuming marijuana.
Only for users of legal age Marijuana Although it remains illegal for those under 21, even in states where it is legal, underage use has fallen to 18.4 percent, according to a SAMHSA survey.
The agency warned that the decline was statistically significantly lower than 2021’s figure of 17.9%.
The most common way marijuana is used is by smoking it, with 77% of adolescents and adults who used marijuana in the past year doing so, and nearly half of users said they consumed food or beverage products that contained marijuana.
Reducing alcohol intake
The 2023 survey found no significant changes in use trends for most substances, but alcohol use showed a statistically significant decrease.
By 2023, 47.5% of adults and adolescents, or about 134.7 million Americans, will be Drinking alcohol That’s down from 48.7% in 2022 over the past month.
However, alcohol abuse rates remained virtually unchanged in 2023, with 21.7% reporting binge drinking and 5.8% reporting “heavy alcohol use” (defined as binge drinking on at least five days per month).
Approximately 10.2% of adolescents and adults (28.9 million people) reported drinking enough to meet the criteria for an alcohol use disorder.
By age, the incidence of alcohol use disorder remains highest among young adults ages 18-25, with more than 15% of young adults meeting criteria for an alcohol use disorder.
