The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) on Wednesday released the results of its annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which shows how people living in America reported their experiences with mental health conditions, substance use, and pursuit of treatment in 2021.
The survey report includes selected estimates by race, ethnicity, and age. SAMHSA said this year’s report is the most comprehensive to date. However, the agency advised people not to compare estimates from previous years because it changed the way it collected data due to the COVID-19.
“Every year since 1971, this survey has given us a window into our nation’s mental health and substance use challenges and 2021 was no different. As the findings make clear, millions of Americans young and old faced mental health and substance use challenges–sometimes both at once during the second year of the pandemic,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra in the announcement. “As we work to improve behavioral health across the nation, HHS is committed to ensuring that all people facing mental health or substance use challenges are connected to appropriate services and supports.”
Among the key findings from the survey:
Drug use and substance use disorder
- Sixty-one million people (22 percent of the population) among people aged 12 or older, used illicit drugs in the past year. The most used illicit drug was marijuana.
- More than nine million people 12 and older misused opioids in the past year.
- Forty-six million people aged 12 or older (or 16.5 percent of the population) met the applicable DSM-5 criteria for having a substance use disorder in the past year, including 29.5 million people who were classified as having an alcohol use disorder and 24 million people who were classified as having a drug use disorder.
- The percentage of people who were classified as having a past year substance use disorder, including alcohol use and/or drug use disorder, was highest among young adults aged 18 to 25 compared to youth and adults 26 and older.
- In 2021, 94 percent of people aged 12 or older with a substance use disorder did not receive any treatment. Nearly all people with a substance use disorder who did not get treatment at a specialty facility did not think they needed treatment.
Major depressive episodes (MDE) among adolescents
- In 2021, one in five adolescents had a major depressive episode in the past year. Of these, nearly 75 percent had symptoms consistent with severe impairment, which caused severe problems with their ability to do chores at home, do well at work or school, get along with their family, or have a social life.
- The prevalence of past year MDE among Black and Asian adolescents was lower compared to adolescents from most other racial/ethnic groups.
- More than half of youth with an MDE did not receive treatment in the past year.
Mental illness among adults
- One in four adults 18 and older, and one in three among adults aged 18 to 25, had a mental illness in the past year.
- Despite having the highest rate of serious mental illness, people aged 18 to 25 had the lowest rate of treatment in comparison to adults in other age groups.
- White and multiracial adults were more likely to receive mental health services in the past year than Black, Hispanic, Latino, or Asian adults.
Co-occurring substance use disorder with any mental illness
- More than 13 percent of young adults aged 18 to 25 had both a substance use disorder and any mental illness in the past year.
- One in three adults had either a substance use disorder or any mental illness in the past year, and 46 percent of young adults 18-25 had either a substance use disorder or any mental illness.
- The percentage of adults aged 18 or older who met criteria for both a mental illness and a substance use disorder in the past year was higher among multiracial adults than among white, Black, Hispanic, Latino, or Asian adults. Asian adults were less likely to have had both AMI and a substance use disorder in the past year compared with adults in most other racial or ethnic groups.
Serious thoughts of suicide, suicide plans, and suicide attempts
- More than 12 million adults aged 18 or older had serious thoughts of suicide in the past year, 3.5 million made suicide plans, and 1.7 million attempted suicide.
- Hispanic or Latino adults were more likely than white or Asian adults to have attempted suicide in the past year, and Black adults were more likely than Asian adults to have they attempted to suicide in the past year.