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2012 Toolkit


Mental and Substance Use Disorders: Fast Facts

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This is the 2012 Recovery Month Toolkit, the 2013 toolkit will be available in early summer.

Each September during the National Recovery Month (Recovery Month) observance, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), releases the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The survey is a prime source of information on the prevalence and impact of mental and/or substance use disorders across the country, as well as how many people seek treatment each year. The facts below from the survey and other relevant reports shed light on mental and/or substance use disorders and illustrate that prevention works, treatment is effective, and people recover from these conditions.

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Mental Health Problems…

  • In 2010, 20 percent of all adults aged 18 or older in this country had any mental illness in the past year1 – similar to 19.9 percent of adults in 2009.2
  • In 2010, an estimated 1.9 million youth aged 12 to 17 (8.0 percent) had a major depressive episode (MDE) in the past year. The condition kept them from completing chores, school, or work, and impacted their social lives and relationships with family.3
  • Mental health problems such as depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia are the leading cause of disability in the United States, and account for 25 percent of years lost to disability and premature mortality.4
  • One estimate puts the total economic costs of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders among youth in the United States at approximately $247 billion.5
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Substance Use Disorders…

  • In 2010, an estimated 22.6 million people aged 12 or older, or 8.9 percent of the population aged 12 or older, said they had used illicit drugs in the past month – an increase from 8.0 in 2008, a change largely attributed to a rise in marijuana use, from 14.4 million Americans in 2007 to 17.4 million Americans in 2010.6
  • Nearly a quarter of Americans aged 12 or older (23.1 percent) said they participated in binge drinking, defined as having five or more drinks on the same occasion (i.e., at the same time or within a couple hours of each other) on at least one day in the past 30 days prior to the survey interview in 2010.7 Among young adults aged 18 to 25, the rate of binge drinking was 40.6 percent in 2010.8
  • There were an estimated 10.0 million underage drinkers in 2010 – people ages 12 to 20 who drank alcohol illegally.9
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People Affected…

  • Veterans and Military Personnel:

    • Approximately 18.5 percent of service members returning from Iraq or Afghanistan have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression, and 19.5 percent report experiencing a traumatic brain injury (TBI) during deployment.10
    • Mental and/or substance use disorders caused more hospitalizations among U.S. troops in 2009 than any other cause.11
    • More than 1,100 members of the armed forces died by suicide from 2005 to 2009 – an average of 1 suicide by a member of the armed forces occurred every 36 hours.12

  • Individuals in the Justice System:

    • Seventy-two percent of inmates meet the criteria for a co-occurring disorder (having both a mental and substance use disorder).13
    • In 2010, more than one quarter (27.0 percent) of the 1.5 million adults on parole or supervised release from prison were current illicit drug users, with 20.6 percent reporting current use of marijuana and 9.8 percent reporting current nonmedical use of psychotherapeutic drugs.14

  • Families and Friends:

    • Youths aged 12 to 17 who perceived strong parental disapproval for trying marijuana or hashish once or twice were much less likely to have used marijuana in the past month than those who did not (4.4 percent vs. 32.8 percent, respectively).15
    • In 2010, 90.3 percent of youths aged 12 to 17 “strongly” or “somewhat” disapproved of their peers smoking one or more packs of cigarettes per day.16

  • The Recovery Community:

    • There are more than 20 million people in recovery from substance use disorders.17
    • One-third of individuals with severe mental health problems who receive community mental health services after lengthy stays in a State hospital achieve full recovery, both in psychiatric status and in social function. Another third improve significantly in both areas, even without full recovery.18
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Prevention Works…Treatment is Effective…People Recover…It’s Worth It!

  • In 2010, youths aged 12 to 17 whose parents were always or sometimes monitoring behaviors, such as helping with homework, were less likely to have used illicit drugs within the past month than those whose parents seldom or never engaged in such behaviors (8.4 percent versus 17.1 percent, respectively).19
  • Two-thirds of Americans believe that treatment and support can help people with mental illnesses lead normal lives.20
  • Approximately 80 percent of patients with depressive disorders improve significantly with treatment and recovery support services.21
  • A majority of Americans (80 percent) have positive feelings about prevention and recovery from substance use disorders.22 Approximately 75 percent of people in the United States believe that recovery is possible from dependence on substances including alcohol, prescription drugs, and marijuana.23
  • In 2010, 31.3 million people aged 18 or older received mental services in the past year,24 and 2.6 million people received specialty treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol use problem.25
  • Half of all adults over age 18 know someone in recovery from an addiction to alcohol, illicit drugs, or prescription drugs.26
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Sources

  1. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Results from the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Mental Health Findings, NSDUH Series H-42, HHS Publication No. (SMA) 11-4667. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2012, p. 7.
  2. Ibid.
  3. Ibid, p. 25.
  4. The World Health Organization (WHO). (2004). The World Health Report 2004: Changing History. Annex Table 3: Burden of Disease in DALYs by Cause, Sex, and Mortality Stratum in WHO Regions, Estimates for 2002; Geneva: World Health Organization. Retrieved May 8, 2012 from http://www.who.int/whr/2004/annex/topic/en/annex_3_en.pdf.
  5. National Research Council & Institute of Medicine. (2009). Preventing mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders among young people: Progress and possibilities. Committee on the Prevention of Mental Disorders and Substance Abuse among Children, Youth, and Young Adults: Research Advances and Promising Interventions. O’Connell, M. E., Boat, T., & Warner, K. E. (Eds). Board on Children, Youth, and Families, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. Retrieved May 8, 2012 from http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12480.
  6. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Results from the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings, NSDUH Series H-41, HHS Publication No. (SMA) 11-4658. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2011.p. 1.
  7. Ibid, p. 27.
  8. Ibid, p. 29.
  9. Ibid, p. 3.
  10. Tanielian, T. L., RAND Corporation & Center for Military Health Policy Research. (2008). Invisible wounds of war: Summary and recommendations for addressing psychological and cognitive injuries. Santa Monica: RAND. Retrieved May 8, 2012 from http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2008/RAND_MG720.1.pdf.
  11. Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center. Medical Surveillance Monthly Report (MSMR). (April 2010). Retrieved March 29, 2012, from http://www.afhsc.mil/viewMSMR?file=2010/v17_n04.pdf.
  12. Department of Defense Task Force on the Prevention of Suicide by Members of the Armed Forces. (2010, August). Final report of the Department of Defense Task Force on the Prevention of Suicide by Members of the Armed Forces. Retrieved March 8, 2012, from http://www.health.mil/dhb/downloads/Suicide%20Prevention%20Task%20Force%20final%20report%208-23-10.pdf, p. ES-1.
  13. The SAMHSA National GAINS Center. (n.d.). What is Jail Diversion? U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, The GAINS Center. Retrieved September 29, 2011, from http://209.132.230.103/html/jail_diversion/what_is_jd.asp.
  14. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Results from the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings, NSDUH Series H-41, HHS Publication No. (SMA) 11-4658. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2011.p. 24.
  15. Ibid, p. 64.
  16. Ibid.
  17. Faces and Voices of Recovery. (n.d.). Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved September 20, 2011 from http://www.facesandvoicesofrecovery.org/about/faq2.php.
  18. Harding, C., Brooks, G., Ashikaga, T., et al. (1987). The Vermont longitudinal study of persons with severe mental illness. American Journal of Psychiatry, 144, 727–735. Retrieved March 8, 2012, from http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/144/6/727.
  19. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (2011). Results from the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings. NSDUH Series H-41, HHS Publication No. (SMA) 11-4658. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. p. 67.
  20. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (2007).National Mental Health Anti-Stigma Campaign: Social Acceptance Is Key to Mental Health Recovery. Retrieved August 30, 2011, from http://www.samhsa.gov/MentalHealth/SMA07-4257.pdf, p. 1.
  21. Nordqvist, C. (2009, June 18). What is Mental Health? What is Mental Disorder?Medical News Today. Retrieved September 12, 2011, from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154543.php.
  22. Office of Communications, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (2008).Fact Sheet CARAVAN® Survey for SAMHSA on addictions and recovery. Rockville, MD: Office of Communications, SAMHSA. Retrieved September 1, 2011, from http://www.samhsa.gov/Attitudes/CARAVAN_Factsheet.pdf, p. 1.
  23. Ibid, p. 2.
  24. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Results from the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Mental Health Findings, NSDUH Series H-42, HHS Publication No. (SMA) 11-4667. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2012, p. 1.
  25. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (SAMHSA). (2010). Results from the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Mental Health Findings. (Office of Applied Studies, NSDUH Series H-39, HHS Publication No. SMA 10-4609). Rockville, MD: SAMHSA. p. 80.
  26. Office of Communications, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (2008).Fact Sheet CARAVAN® Survey for SAMHSA on addictions and recovery. Rockville, MD: Office of Communications, SAMHSA. Retrieved September 1, 2011, from http://www.samhsa.gov/Attitudes/CARAVAN_Factsheet.pdf, p. 1.



Recovery Month promotes the societal benefits of prevention, treatment, and recovery for substance use and mental disorders, celebrates people in recovery, lauds the contributions of treatment and service providers, and promotes the message that recovery in all its forms is possible. Recovery Month spreads the positive message that behavioral health is essential to overall health, that prevention works, treatment is effective and people can and do recover.

National Recovery Month 2013

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  • Behavioral Health is Essential to Health
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