Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment Utilization Among Individuals Served by Multiple Public Agencies

This 2004 report examines mental health and substance abuse service utilization among individuals served by multiple public agencies in Delaware, Oklahoma and Washington. 

From the abstract:

This study examines the extent to which populations with MH and/or SA conditions utilize treatment services through Medicaid and State MH/SA Agencies. Data are from the SAMHSA Integrated Database, a multi-year file for three states combining Medicaid and State MH/SA Agency administrative data into a uniform database. Although populations with co-occurring conditions and those served by both Medicaid and State MH/SA Agencies have substantial contact with the public treatment system, a majority of the MH/SA populations examined here utilize few services over brief periods of time. Utilization is most limited among individuals with MH-only conditions and those served exclusively by Medicaid. While a lack of data on clinical outcomes prevents us from drawing conclusions about the effectiveness of MH/SA services, results of this analysis do indicate that public programs in the states examined here do not provide services that are primarily utilized on a frequent or chronic basis.

Download the full report (PDF): Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment Utilization Among Individuals Served by Multiple Public Agencies.pdf (231.15 kb)