SAMHSA Releases 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health

Last week, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released the findings in its 2018 national survey.  The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) is a comprehensive household survey that tracks substance abuse, substance abuse disorders, mental health, and the treatment of these disorders.  Each year, the NSDUH helps policy makers curtail their decision-making in the ever-changing landscape that is substance abuse and mental health.

SAMHSA Survey Releases 2018 National Survey

The findings of the report can be located online.

To make your life a little easier, we decided to summarize a few findings from the survey! Remember, this data is the finalized collection from the year 2018.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health for Individuals 18+ Years Old

1. 19.3 million people (7.8%) had a substance use disorder.

2. 47.6 million people (19.1%) had a mental illness.

3. 9.2 million people (3.7%) had both substance abuse disorder and mental illness.

Illicit Drug Use Rate (In order of must used drug)

1. Marijuana

2. Psychotherapeutic Drugs

3. Cocaine

4. Hallucinogens

5. Methamphetamines

6. Inhalants

7. Heroin

Opioid Misusers

1. 10.3 million people considered opioid misusers (3.7% of total population); significant decrease from 11.4 million in 2017.

2. 9.9 million people considered prescription pain reliever misuser; significant decrease from 11.1 million in 2017.

3. 808K people considered heroin misuser; significant decrease from 886K in 2017.

Opioid Subtype Misuse Rate (Most to Least Prevalent)

1. Buprenorphine 

2. Methadone

3. Fentanyl 

Heroin-Use Disorder (18-25 Year Olds)

1. 101K heroin-use disorder individuals reported in 2018; significant decrease from 165K in 2017 (LET’S GO!)

Definitely some good news here in the first part of the report. But as we have seen before, the use of prescription opioids and heroin may be on the decline… but a silent killer waits in the brush.

The NSDUH also includes a section regarding mental health. Unfortunately, one metric in particular is important to point out.

Serious Mental Health (18-25 & 26-49)

1. 2.6 million individuals (aged 18-25) responded as having serious mental health issues; this is a massive rise from 2017

2. 5.9 million individuals (aged 26-49) responded as having serious mental health issues; this is a massive rise from 2017

**A Message from the Executive Director