Nearly one-third of U.S. adolescents received mental health treatment in 2023, according to a new report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA).
SAMSHA’s 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, released Tuesday, found that 31.9% of 12- to 17-year-olds, or about 8.3 million people, received mental health treatment. That’s up from 7.7 million, or 29.8%, of youth who received mental health treatment the previous year, according to the 2022 report.
Outpatient treatment, such as at a school counselor’s or therapist’s office, was the most common option, with 59.8% of people receiving mental health treatment, or 2.7 million people, choosing this option, according to the report.
About 14.2% said they received telehealth care, 13.9% said they were prescribed medication and 3.5% said they were hospitalized, according to the report.
The biggest increase in treatment methods was seen among people using medication to treat mental illness, increasing from 12.8% in 2022 to 13.9% last year, the researchers said. The agency said this was not a statistically significant difference.
Surveys over the past year have painted a dire picture of the mental health of young Americans: Half of 18- to 24-year-olds will report experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression by 2023, according to a KFF analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data released last March.
The number of adults receiving mental health treatment also increased from 21.8% (55.8 million) in 2022 to 23% (59.2 million) last year.
Agency leaders said Tuesday they were “pleased” to see an increase in the number of people seeking mental health treatment in 2023 compared to the previous year.
“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 Delphine Ritmon, assistant secretary for mental health and substance use, told reporters at a press conference on Tuesday, CBS News reported.
The Biden administration has invested millions of dollars in improving access to mental health counseling services. Earlier this year, the administration awarded $285 million to help schools hire and train more than 14,000 mental health counselors.
While there had been improvements for those receiving help, Delphine Ritmon told reporters the report still “shows that we must continue to be determined in our efforts to address the mental health and substance use crises,” CBS reported.
SAMHSA’s annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health is conducted among people aged 12 years and older using face-to-face and web-based interviews.
