Mental Health and Substance Abuse
Importance and Measures
Mortality |
Cause of death rank - suicide (2003)................................................................................ |
11th2 |
Alcohol-related motor vehicle deaths (2003)...................................................................... |
17,01325 |
Students grades 9-12 who have seriously considered suicide (2003)................................... |
17.3%26 |
|
|
Prevalence |
Americans 12 or older with alcohol and/or illicit drug dependence or abuse (2003).......................................................................................... |
21,600,00027 |
Americans 18 or older with serious mental illness (2003).................................................. |
19,600,00027 |
American adults with co-occurring serious mental illness and substance dependence or abuse (2003 est.).................................................................... |
4,200,00027 |
Americans with mental disorders including substance abuse in past year, U.S. (2001-2003)........................................................................................ |
26.4%28 |
Americans with anxiety disorders, U.S. (2001-2003)......................................................... |
18.2%28 |
Americans with mood disorders, U.S. (2001-2003)........................................................... |
9.6%28 |
Americans with impulse-control disorders, U.S. (2001-2003).............................................. |
6.8%28 |
Cost
Direct medical expenditures for substance abuse and mental disorders (2001 est.).... $104 billion29
Measures
The NHQR tracks measures for the treatment of clinical depression, serious psychological distress, and substance abuse. The measures for clinical depression include any treatment, practitioner contact for medication management, and the receipt of antidepressant medication both during the first 3 months following initial diagnosis (i.e., the acute phase) and through the continuation treatment phase. Mental health treatment is defined as counseling, inpatient care, outpatient care, or prescription medications for problems with emotions or anxiety and does not include alcohol or drug treatment. Because improved outcomes are correlated with treatment completion and length of stay in substance abuse treatment, the measure of the quality of substance abuse treatment presented in this report is the rate of persons who complete all parts of their treatment plan. This section highlights three measures of mental health and substance abuse treatment:
- Degree of helpfulness of mental health treatment
- Receipt of needed substance abuse treatment
- Completion of substance abuse treatment