Mental health treatment for adolescents is on the rise

LOS ANGELES (EFE).— Nearly one in three adolescents in the United States received mental health treatment in 2023 and more than two in ten adults had a mental illness that year, according to a report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (Samhsa).

The survey found that about 8.3 million teens and young adults ages 12 to 17 received mental health counseling or medication in the United States last year.

At least 4.5 million adolescents (ages 12 to 17) experienced a major depressive episode in the past year, of whom nearly one in five also had a substance use disorder.

22.8% (58.7 million) of adults aged 18 years or older had a mental illness (AMI) in 2023. And an estimated 12.8 million adults had serious thoughts of suicide, 3.7 million people made a suicide plan, and 1.5 million attempted suicide in 2023.

Drug addiction

Regarding substance abuse, the Mental Health Services National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that 8.9 million people misused opioids in the past year, a figure similar to that for 2022 and 2021, i.e., 8.9 million and 9.4 million.

Among the 134.7 million people aged 12 and older who consumed alcohol in 2023, 61.4 million had engaged in binge drinking in the past month, according to a report by Samhsa, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Marijuana was the most widely used illicit drug: 21.8% of people aged 12 years or older (61.8 million) used it during 2023.

More people started vaping last year (5.9 million) than any other substance. The 2021 nicotine vaping estimates are not comparable to those reported in 2022 and 2023.

The survey of non-institutionalized individuals ages 12 and older found that 31.9% of adolescents ages 12 to 17 (8.3 million) received mental health treatment in the past year, an increase of more than 500,000 from 2022.

While 23% of adults aged 18 and older (59.2 million) received mental health treatment in the past year, an increase of 3.4 million from 2022.

The survey, which has been carried out since 1972, is considered by experts to be one of the most comprehensive in the country.