This is the first edition of the Behavioral Health Barometer: United States, one of a series of State and national reports that provide a snapshot of the state of behavioral health in the Nation. This national report presents a set of substance use and mental health indicators as measured through data collection efforts sponsored by SAMHSA (the National Survey on Drug Use and Health and the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (the Youth Risk Behavior Survey), and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (the Monitoring the Future survey). Also included are data on the use of mental health and substance use treatment services by Medicare enrollees, as reported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. This array of indicators provides a unique overview of the Nation’s behavioral health at a point in time as well as a mechanism for tracking change and trends over time. As new data become available, indicators highlighted in this report will be updated to reflect the current state of the science and incorporate new measures of interest. The Behavioral Health Barometers provide critical information to a variety of audiences in support of SAMHSA’s mission of reducing the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America’s communities.
This national report, along with a Behavioral Health Barometer for each State and the District of Columbia, will be published on a regular basis as part of SAMHSA’s larger behavioral health quality improvement approach.
Population of focus: People living in the United States
Link to resource:
- Full report — Behavioral Health Barometer United States, 2013 (pdf)
- Links to full report and state reports on the SAMHSA website
Date: 2013
Organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration