A survey from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) shows that nearly a third of American adolescents and teens received some sort of mental health treatment in 2023.
This means that nearly 8 million youngsters between the ages of 12 and 17 have undergone counselling, have received medical treatment or some similar treatment.
A United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund Fund (Unicef) report of 2019 estimated that one in seven adolescents worldwide, or approximately 166 million young people, experienced some form of mental disorder. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 10% of children and adolescents experience a mental disorder, yet many do not seek help. The report found that suicide ranks as the fourth leading cause of death among youth aged 15 to 19.
The SAMSHA survey proves that now more adolescents are receiving or seeking help for their problems. “We’re pleased to see that more people received mental health treatment in 2023 than the previous year,” SAMHSA administrator Miriam Delphin-Rittmon said in a news release.
The biggest increase was seen in adolescents receiving mental health medications. Nearly 14% of youngsters sought a medical prescription in 2023 compared to 12.8% in 2022..
SAMHSA officials said the increase shows that mental health treatment is finally being destigmatized.
The agency revealed that mental health treatment among adolescents has seen a steady increase since 2009.
In 2022, the survey estimated that 7.7 million youths ages 12 to 17 had received mental health treatment of some kind. The increase in 2023 amounts to more than 500,000 more young people getting treatment, SAMHSA noted.
Depressive disorders
Interestingly, the rate of reports of major depressive episodes among this age group has remained flat at 18% since2021.
Psychiatrists classify a major depressive episode as a period of feeling depressed for at least two weeks.
The survey found 4.5 million youth (ages 12 to 17) had a major depressive episode in the past year, of which nearly 1 in 5 also had a substance use disorder.
“The report shows us that we must remain steadfast in our efforts to address the mental health and substance use crises,” Delphin-Rittmon said.
Substance abuse trends
Substance abuse trends were seen to be similar to previous years, although, alcohol use did see a statistically significant drop.
In 2023, 47.5% of adults and adolescents — about 134.7 million Americans — reported drinking alcohol in the past month, down from 48.7% in 2022.
But binge drinking figures remained unchanged, with 21.7% reporting binge drinking and 5.8% reporting “heavy alcohol use.”
Marijuana was the most commonly used drug in adults with nearly 22% using it in the past year. Vaping for 2023 was up over 2022 with 9.4% of people aged 12 or older vaping nicotine in the past month.
Mental health issues often manifest during adolescence, with 50% of mental health conditions established by age 14 and 75% by age 24.
The 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health interviewed people living in households, non-institutional group quarters — including shelters, boarding houses and college dormitories — and civilians living on military bases.
