United States: Nearly one in three adolescents in the United States received some form of mental health care in 2023, as per the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) report released on Tuesday. This equates to approximately 8.3 million youths aged 12 to 17 engaging in therapy, medication, or other treatments.
This revelation is part of the findings published from SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health for the year 2023. This comprehensive annual survey, keenly monitored by mental health and addiction professionals, encompasses a wide array of queries posed to Americans aged 12 and older residing in non-institutional settings, according to CBS News.
The predominant mode of mental health care for adolescents involves interacting with a provider in an outpatient setting, such as a therapist’s office or a school counseling center.
A significant rise from 2022 was noted in the number of adolescents receiving medication for mental health conditions. SAMHSA approximates that 13.9% of youths aged 12 to 17 were prescribed such medications in 2023, an increase from 12.8% the previous year, though the agency indicated that the rise was not statistically noteworthy.
The proportion of adults seeking mental health treatment also ascended, from 21.8% in the 2022 survey to 23% in 2023. Among adults, 16.3% received prescription medication for mental health issues, compared to 15.2% in 2022.
SAMHSA officials viewed this increase positively, highlighting initiatives to normalize and destigmatize the pursuit of mental health care.
“We perceive the uptick in mental health treatment as beneficial, aligning with the Biden-Harris administration’s focus on enhancing treatment accessibility and informing the public about available services and supports,” Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, Miriam Delphin-Rittmon remarked during a briefing on Tuesday.
Adolescent mental health treatment rates have steadily increased annually since 2009, according to SAMHSA’s survey results, though the agency advises caution when comparing results prior to 2021 due to methodological changes in the survey, as per reports by CBS News.
In 2022, the survey estimated that 7.7 million adolescents, or 29.8%, had received some form of mental health treatment. The increase in 2023 represents over 500,000 additional adolescents receiving care, as noted by SAMHSA.
The prevalence of adolescents reporting a major depressive episode has remained relatively stable since 2021, at 18.1% of those aged 12 to 17, or 4.5 million individuals.
Psychiatrists define a major depressive episode as a period of at least two weeks of pervasive depression, significantly impacting daily activities such as sleep and eating or causing thoughts of death or suicide.
“The report underscores the necessity of persisting in our endeavors to tackle the mental health and substance use crises,” stated Delphin-Rittmon.
Resources for adolescent and family mental health support:
Trends in Substance Use: Vaping and Marijuana
SAMHSA’s survey indicated a continued decline in traditional cigarette usage nationwide, dropping to 13.7% or 38.7 million adolescents and adults in 2023.
Conversely, nicotine vaping increased to 9.4% of adolescents and adults, or 26.6 million people, up from 8.3% in 2022.
Approximately 11.7% of those vaping nicotine were underage, consistent with last year’s figures. Other federal surveys have suggested a significant decline in e-cigarette use among high school students, though levels among middle school students have not followed the same trend.
Marijuana use remained roughly unchanged from the previous year, with 21.8% or 61.8 million adolescents and adults reporting usage.
Among users under the legal age for marijuana use, SAMHSA found a decrease to 18.4%, though the reduction was not statistically significant and still above the 17.9% reported in 2021, according to CBS News.
Smoking was the most prevalent method of marijuana consumption, with 77% of adolescent and adult users partaking in this manner. Nearly half of the users reported consuming edible or beverage forms of marijuana.
Alcohol Consumption Trends
While most substance use trends remained stable in the 2023 survey, alcohol consumption saw a statistically significant decrease.
In 2023, 47.5% of adolescents and adults, or approximately 134.7 million Americans, reported drinking alcohol in the past month, down from 48.7% in 2022.
However, rates of alcohol abuse remained largely 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 within a month, as mentioned by CBS News.
About 10.2% of adolescents and adults, or 28.9 million people, reported drinking to the extent that they met the criteria for alcohol use disorder.
Rates of alcohol use disorder were highest among young adults aged 18 to 25, with over 15% meeting the criteria for the disorder.