The
NSDUH Report: Male
Veterans with Co-Occurring Serious Mental Illness and a Substance Use
Disorder
Highlights:
- SAMHSA's
National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) includes questions for
adults aged 18 or older to assess serious mental illness (SMI) during
the year prior to the survey interview. Individuals are classified as
having SMI if at some time during the past year they had a mental, behavioral,
or emotional disorder that met criteria specified in the Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV), and
that resulted in functional impairment that substantially interfered
with or limited one or more major life activities.
- Individuals
with either alcohol or drug dependence or abuse are said to have a substance
use disorder.
- Individuals
with both SMI and a substance use disorder are said to have co-occurring
SMI and a substance use disorder. Other terms used include "comorbidity"
and "dual diagnosis."
- In
2002 and 2003, an estimated 25.4 million male and 1.6 million female
military veterans were living in the United States.
- SAMHSA's
National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that in 2002 and 2003,
among males aged 18 and older an estimated 8% (2 million) of veterans
and 14.6% (11.1 million) nonveterans were dependent on or abusing alcohol
or illicit drugs.
- In
2002 and 2003, among males aged 18 and older an estimated 4.6% (1.2
million) of veterans and 7% (5.3 million) nonveterans had a serious
mental illness.
- An
estimated 340,000 male veterans had co-occurring serious mental illness
(SMI) and a substance use disorder in 2002 and 2003. Although not statistically
significant, within each age group of males the veterans had higher
rates of comorbidity than nonveterans: aged 18 to 25 (6.4% veterans
vs. 4.5% nonveterans); aged 26 to 54 (2.5% veterans vs. 2% nonveterans);
and aged 55 or older (0.6% veterans vs. 0.3% nonveterans).
Reports
on veterans
Reports on drugs
Reports
on mental illness
Other
topics
Other
OAS publications and services
This Short
Report, The
NSDUH Report: Male Veterans with Co-Occurring Serious Mental
Illness and a Substance Use Disorder, isbased on SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug
Use and Health conducted by the Office of Applied
Studies (OAS) in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA). SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)
is the primary source of information on the prevalence, patterns, and
consequences of drug and alcohol use and abuse and for selected mental health measures in the general U.S. civilian non institutionalized population, age 12 and older.
SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use & Health also provides estimates
for drug use and for selected mental health measures by State.
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